Stormy Seas
by SilverKitsune2017
Summary: Fem Obito x Kakashi. Otoko Uchiha was the Captain of the Akatsuki and her crew could accomplish anything, but she had never expected to run into the likes of Kakashi Hatake. The handsome devil was intent on helping two young princes, Sasuke and Itachi, reclaim their throne and he might just end up claiming her heart in the process, despite her best efforts not to fall for him.
1. Chapter 1

Stormy Seas

 **Author's Note:** Since Obito x Kakashi was my most commonly requested pairing on my poll, but I'm going to give it a shot. In this story Obito was born female and her name is Otoko. There also might be some supernatural elements added to this pirate story later on. If any of that bothers you, you might want to turn back now. For those of you still, here, I hope you enjoy this story and reviews are always appreciated.

 **Special Thanks to MadaraUchiha-Chan** for inspiring me to write this pairing. If you are looking for short and silly Naruto stories, I highly recommend checking her out.

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing and make no profit off of any of my stories.

Chapter 1

To say the least, Captain Otoko Uchiha was not amused. It was almost time to sail and two of her crew weren't back in the ship yet. She was half ready to sail without them, but she couldn't quite bring herself to do so.

"They're late again." Her eyes narrow at the thought.

Obviously, she would have to punish them for their transgression. Hidan's foul mouth and Kakuzu's obsession with treasure she could overlook. They were pirates after all, but causing them to miss the tide well that was a bridge too far.

Konan shakes her head. "Captain, forgive me, but you know how this crew is." Yes, Otoko most certainly did because she was the one who had selected them all to join the Akatsuki!

Her crew was the finest (well most infamous) crew to ever sail the Seven Seas. They were all master swordsmen and swordswomen, amongst other things. Together, there was almost nothing they couldn't accomplish. Except getting all of them to read a watch, it seemed!

"I know and that's why I'm going to make those Scallywags regret defying my direct orders!" Honestly, she was Captain. "I've been too lax in enforcing the rules around here or mayphap they both got distracted by some barmaid." It wouldn't be the first time. "Either way, I can't tolerate such insubordination!"

She shakes her head as she runs her fingers through her long, unruly raven locks that reached all the way to the small of her back. It was a nervous habit. Though she also had a habit of drawing her sword after doing that. So few people realized the motion for what it was. A nervous tic.

This port might be friendly to pirates, but it wasn't smart to stay in one place for too long. "I know you can't, but they always come through in the end." The urge to move was strong and Otoko knew that Konan felt it too.

The blue haired woman was her First Mate. The men of the Akatsuki found great amusement in that fact, but Konan was easily the most sensible of the lot and that was that!

That and those eyes of hers. "True. That doesn't mean that I'm gonna be going easy on these dogs either!" Konan's eyes were orange as any fire's glow and seemed to pierce into your very soul. Striking terror and awe into the hearts of even the bravest of men! (The only exception being Nagato)!

"You really shouldn't call them dogs." Konan smiles slyly. "Dogs are generally better trained and far more pleasing to look upon."

Otoko couldn't help, but laugh at that. True enough. "ARGH! What that supposed mean?!" Though it seemed that some of their crew had been ease dropping and wanted to protest Konan's very accurate assessment.

It was Sasori. The red headed pirate was quite skilled with a blade, but his specialty was poison and antidotes for them. The man made a small fortune off of selling both to private buyers and it was rather useful way to help kill off their enemies or make a quick getaway.

Unfortunately, half the time he acted like he had a pole stuck up his shapely arse. He was far too serious for Otoko's tastes, but she could acknowledge a nice backside when she saw one!

"It means exactly what you think it means." Otoko shrugs as she peers out over to the docks.

Hidan's and Kakuzu's sorry backsides had better on their way or else, she'd punish them somehow. The Uchiha woman hadn't figured out how precisely, but she would ensure it was properly traumatizing.

Kisame shakes his head. "My bet is Kakuzu got caught up playing cards and lost half his booty from our last heist." That was likely true. "And Hidan is probably getting slapped by some wench." Otoko twitches at that.

She didn't particularly care for the word wench, but it was just too ingrained in the men at this point. So the Captain had settled on a compromise of sorts. They could call anyone who wasn't a member of their crew whatever they liked, but if they called her or Konan that…they were walking the plank!

"You know it's true!" Deidara grins at her as he walks over to the Captain. "Aye?"

Otoko was never quite sure what to make of Deidara in all honesty. The first time she saw the blonde, the Uchiha had sincerely thought he was a woman wearing pants! Which was why she had approached 'her' in the first place.

It took a very brave or a very foolish woman to wear pants for the most part. Otoko didn't know why, but women just were supposed to wear dresses and skirts apparently. Now, she loved dressing up and acting like a pretty princess as much as the next woman, but pants did seem more practical.

Was it really her fault though? The eccentric pirate's luxurious blonde locks fell to the middle of his back and he had really large sky blue eyes that just seemed feminine to her! "It might be true, but that doesn't mean I won't wash out his foul mouth with soap for saying such things!" That and Deidara had always been on the slimmer side.

"You'd wash out our mouths with soap anyway!" She hears a man call out from across the peer.

It was Hidan. The man was certainly not afraid to display which ship he sailed on with his massive leather, silver studded hat and his long sleeved matching shirt with the red clouds. "Hidan, get your sorry arse aboard this vessel right now or we will sail without ye!" Not to mention the crimson red pants that were underneath that elaborate belt and that buttoned shirt.

Nothing screamed Akatsuki like black and red. Those were their crews colors and the red clouds were their signature! Everybody knew it was best not to be messin' with anyone with red clouds on their clothes!

"Quit your shrieking, woman!" Oh aye, this man was going to be walking the plank today!

His only saving grace was the fact that Kakuzu came running behind him carrying a large sack over his shoulder. A sack that was jingling. Gold! He must have won (or cheated) in his preferred game of chance. Cards!

Kakuzu rolls his eyes. "Don't pay him any mind." Otoko usually didn't. "He be drunker than Queen Kaguya's consorts!" If that was true, then it was a miracle Hidan was even walking because those consorts were kept very well hydrated with all sorts of expensive wines and champagnes.

"He's still walking the plank." Otoko shakes her head.

Nagato looks at her with concern. "Isn't that a little excessive, Captain?" He smiles at her. "We all know that Hidan just has an exceptionally foul mouth."

Okoto smirks at the question. It might have seemed excessive, but she didn't say where she was walking the plank. So she immediately drags Hidan onto the ship and pushes him onto the plank with her sword out.

"Just your blessings that I'm making ye do it in shallow waters instead of out in the middle of the ocean where the sharks can get ye!" The Captain doubted that she would ever actually kill a member of her crew, but she did have to ensure they all respected her authority.

Humiliation could work just as well, if not better than violence sometimes! "Awe, come on!" No, Otokyo would not come on. "This is ridiculous. You're gonna get me all wet for nothing!" He was wrong about that. There was a method to her madness, she thinks to herself as she withdraws her sword.

"Walk the plank or I will run ye through, ye scabby sea bass!" She smirks, feeling rather pleased with her insult of choice as she waves her sword menacingly at the man to make her point.

Zetsu shakes his head as he watches Hidan. It was clear as day what the man was thinking. He was thinking that Hidan was a fool to argue with her and the exotic looking man was very much correct about that!

He sighs as he walks the plank. "Fine!" Hidan grumbles every step of the way as the Captain continues poking him with her sharp blade before he finally jumps off the edge of it and into the chilly waters.

Fall had just begun to embrace this land. The water wouldn't turn to ice here for a few months time, but the temperature difference was quite noticeable at this point. Something that Hidan had just discovered much to his displeasure!

"It be colder than Kisame's bed in here!" To which Konan laughs lightly as a ladder is placed over the edge of the ship for Hidan to climb back up on.

Kisame was less than pleased though. "Ye is a pox faced scoundrel who doesn't notice things!" He glares at him. "I take plenty wenches to my bedchambers. Just because I have blue skin doesn't negate the fact I have a far bigger sword than you and I know how to use it better too! Ask any of the lasses!"

Otoko rolls her own eyes. "Hidan, you're swabbing the entire deck tonight." She'd had quite enough of their nonsense for the day. "And Kisame, I don't want to hear another word about your sword lest you volunteer to wash all our clothes for the next fortnight." Predictably that results in both men groaning and wisely deciding to shut up.

* * *

At that same moment, Kaguya sighs within the grand gray walls of her massive palace. "And you believe the people actually think these rumors to be true?" Normally, merely being here brought her pleasure. This was especially true when she was seated inside her grand throne room. (Even more so when her "King" wasn't around).

Rasa bows to her. "Yes, My Queen." The Nobleman winces. "I believe those Spanish Dogs are responsible. They're trying to sow discord!"

That was likely true, she thinks to herself as she sits upon the red velvet cushion of her golden throne. "Unfortunately, it may be working." The Queen didn't like to admit that, but it was time to face the reality of the situation. "This is likely retaliation for attacking their ships."

She never would have though they'd be this creative. It seemed that she had truly underestimated them. If they could turn the public against her, a rebellion might break out.

The country was already plagued by religious strife and the bad harvest least season didn't help matters. Kaguya was only able to maintain power by having pirates plunder as many ships as possible. They were quite simply importing food from other countries to make up for the shortage.

"The peasants love their tall tales." The man shakes his head. "After awhile, it will die down. The princes are dead." That was true. "Not even the Spanish can revive the dead. Their Armada on the other hand is something to be feared."

Oh yes, she knew of the Spanish Armada. It was the glory of Spain and that was why she had her pirates attack their other ships. Britain simply couldn't compete with Spain an official Navel Battles, but their merchant ships were another matter.

"You're right." Of course, Rasa was correct. The Spanish were just looking for any weakness they could exploit. "We'll continue as we have been then." Slowly, their efforts were beginning to have an effect.

It would be difficult for Spain to maintain their fleet with empty coffers. She smirks at that thought. It wasn't always the strongest who won the fight. Sometimes, cunning was enough to win the day.

The Uchihas had certainly been stronger than her, but Kaguya had driven that family to extinction with her plotting. The Uchiha Royal Family had ruled for centuries and yet, she had ended all that on her own without launching a single arrow, thrusting a sword, or firing off any shots on her own.

All it had taken was a rumor and an outbreak of the Plague. "Yes, My Queen." Rasa bows. "Will that be all that you require of me?" And that had been that.

The Plague had somehow reached the castles of the Nobility. Kaguya spread a rumor that it was the Uchihas' doing and the Nobles had believed her. In the end, they had cut the Uchihas all down and sworn never to speak of it again.

The peasants would have mounted a revolt, if they knew that their beloved rulers were killed off by their own nobles and thus, the peasants had dreams that somehow the Uchiha Line would come back into existence and the Nobles shivered in fear that it would.

"Yes, that will be all." She nods as the man leaves her chambers and she smoothes out her luxurious golden gown.

There was always a fear amongst the Nobles. The fear that maybe, they had missed one. Just one. That was all that it would take in their minds to wreck vengeance on them.

To Kaguya, it was a silly notion. One Uchiha couldn't stand against all of the Nobility. Many of whom had their own armies. To them though, well it haunted their dreams. She had heard the whispers here and there.

She shakes her head at the thought. "The time of the Uchihas is over now though." Now, her family was the ruling family.

The Ōtsutsukis now reigned supreme over all of England and Kaguya was going to do her best to ensure that it stayed that way! She would never allow mere rumors and nightmares to steal her crown. No! The crown was hers!

It was unfortunate, that she had to share it with Danzo. That was fine though. They had an agreement. The two of them appeared in public together as was proper, but in private they were allowed to do as they pleased.

For her, that was enjoying the comfort of her consorts and for him, well Kaguya wasn't really sure what the old fool did when left to his own devices. She didn't care what he did as long as he wasn't plotting against her. Which luckily for him, it didn't appear the old codger was foolish enough to do so!

* * *

Finally, they were setting sail. Otoko sighs in relief at that knowledge. They hadn't missed the tide, though it had been close. Far too close in her opinion.

"So where are we heading?" Konan smiles as she and Otoko were taking turns steering the ship.

The men had gone off to accomplish their assigned tasks. So it was just her and her trusty First Mate now. Which meant at least in this section of the ship, things were much more quiet than usual.

She returns the smile as she glances down at the map briefly. "We sail for the coast of Spain!" Noting that she was still in her 'disguise.'

A short sleeved gown that was blue on the top, but faded to a green color around her waist and eventually ended up being brown. "You do like to live dangerously." It was something that a relatively well off barmaid or fisher's wife might wear.

The color schemed pleased her, even if it was designed to looks as though it had gotten stained and the fabric flattered her feminine curves just enough to be pleasing. Though not enough to attract too much unwanted attention.

In short, it was just upscale enough not to be mistaken for a beggar, but not too wealthy looking. So most pickpockets and bandits would probably pass her over in favor of either better or softer targets.

"Aye, tis a pirate's life for me and thee!" She smiles at her. "There's no other way to live, but dangerously when you're an Akatsuki!"

Konan nods in agreement. "Aye, that's true!" She was also dressed to in her disguise.

The woman was wearing an emerald green jacket and a simple, though elegant purple dress underneath it. "Tis very true! Onward!" Konan apparently wanted to look as though she was a relatively well off merchant's wife and well, that was a good as disguise as any in Otoko's mind so she didn't argue with the choice.

* * *

On another ship, Kakashi watches in amusement. Itachi just couldn't resist teasing his little brother. It was both sweet and ridiculously entertaining at times.

"You've gotten really good at swabbing the deck, Sasuke." Itachi chuckles at him.

To which the young prince rolls his eyes as he continues blitzing around. "Kakashi said that if I do a good job, they might let me do more exciting things." The seven year old was certainly ambitious, Kakashi had to give him that.

That and well, he just couldn't say no to those bubble eyes. Damn Brat, he chuckles to himself. Sasuke was apparently very well aware of that fact and used those Bubble Eyes of his to his advantage. Constantly.

Itachi smiles and pokes his brother in the forehead. "Don't be in such a hurry to grow up." It was something that the older boy often did to his brother.

Kakashi didn't entirely understand it himself, but it apparently annoyed Sasuke to no end. A fact that the thirteen year old was more than happy to exploit, he notes with amusement.

It was hard to believe that Itachi was only six when it happened and Sasuke had been a mere babe. My how time flies. Now, Itachi was rapidly becoming a man and Sasuke was well still Sasuke.

"Hmpf!" Sasuke grumbles.

He had manage to get them this far, but there was still quite a ways to go. Itachi was not yet old enough to rule in his own right and a reagent would not work.

At best, the reagent would try to manipulate Itachi and at worst, they might try to kill the Uchiha Brothers in order to claim the throne for themselves. No, the eldest prince needed to reach manhood if the Uchihas were ever going to rule in their own right again.

Itachi shakes his head and shows Sasuke the 'proper way' to handle the mop. "This will make it much faster, you know?" He smiles at his brother.

He would be an excellent King, one day. Kakashi knew it. Though the problem was somehow, Itachi needed to survive long enough to claim his birthright.

"Alright." Sasuke briefly looked like he was about to protest his older brother's advice, but as in most things he eventually follows Itachi's lead.

Kakashi had always said that he would never marry and thus, he had never expected to father any children. So in a way, the princes enough were ironically closest things to sons that he had. Though at least Itachi was too old to be his son and Sasuke well, it was debatable.

At 22, Kakashi should have been married a few years back. He was fortunate though. The man was the last of his line and thus free to do as he pleased. What had originally pleased him was joining the Royal Guard like his father had before him and his father before him and so on.

The Hatakes had served honorably in the military for centuries and were often members of the Royal Guard. They were nobles in their own right, but a lower class of Nobles. Enough to have some property, but not enough to have their own army.

Itachi smiles at him. "There. That's much better." The strokes were far more efficient, but that was Itachi for you.

Itachi was constantly coming up with ways to save time or do things with less effort. He was an effort one while Sasuke was an adorable, eager to please bundle of energy.

Really, it might be a good thing that Itachi was the elder Brother. Kakashi sometimes worried that people would take advantage of the boy's eagerness to please. Though that might just be a trait of his childhood more than anything else.

"Aye!" Sasuke smiles at him.

The poor boy was a prince, but he had grown up around sailors and pirates. The bubble eyed lad wasn't even aware of his status as a prince. He and Itachi had thought it was safer, if he didn't know.

A child might blurt something out in the heat of the moment. Something as innocent as introducing himself as Prince Sasuke and that could have easily been the end of him. It was a possibility that Kakashi truly didn't want to entertain.

"So where we be sailing this time?" Gai strides over to Kakashi. "Captain!"

Gai was his First Mate. The man might be eccentric, but he was also unfailingly loyal and other than Itachi and himself, he was the only one who know of Itachi's and Sasuke's true identities. He trusted the bushy browed man that much.

His bushy brows were perhaps Gai's most distinctive trait. Well that and his love of green and obsession with youth. Kakashi still didn't understand the last part, but he had long since given up doing so. Sometimes it was easier just to accept people's quirks and let sleeping dogs be!

Kakashi smiles at him. "Towards Spain." Itachi and Sasuke would one day rule England and Spain was that country's greatest rival. So that meant that the Usurper would never look for them there.

He called her that in his mind. The Usurper. Kaguya would never be Queen to Kakashi. He suspected that she was the one who had spread the rumors amongst the nobility that the Uchihas were deliberately allowing the Plague to spread amongst the upper classes of society in a bid to confiscate more of their land.

It was a lie. They would never do such things and only the likes of that bitch Kaguya and that snake Danzo would ever think of saying such a thing. That and the fact they now sat on the throne made the silver haired man truly believe that they had spread the rumors.

"Alright." He grins at Kakashi. "I'll tell the rest of the crew." Gai smiles as he glances at the brothers. "They're growing so fast."

That was true, but it wasn't fast enough. Could they run out the clock? Could they get the eldest prince to adulthood before tragedy struck (or Sasuke)?

Kakashi didn't really know the answer to that question, but he was damn well going to try. Even if he had to lie. To most of the world, Itachi and Sasuke were his younger brothers and that suited his purposes just fine.

Better to live a lie than die for the sake of your last name! "Thank you, Gai." He smiles at his friend and mentally grimaces at his previous thought.

There were so many ways this could all go wrong, but he had to try. They were almost there. A few more years and Itachi would be ready. He would be ready to reclaim the crown and that Usurper and her lapdog would pay for all their transgressions.

Kakashi wasn't exactly sure how he would make sure that happened, but he would. For now though, he was perfectly content to go where the ocean took him.

"Oh and be on the look out." Gai shakes his head. "There were rumors in the last port that the Akatsuki are lurking about."

That makes Kakashi's eyes narrow at the thought. "We'll be careful." The Akatsuki was the most feared pirate ship out there and for good reason. He definitely didn't want to run into them on the stormy seas. "We always are." That would likely only end in disaster.


	2. Chapter 2

Stormy Seas

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. If you're interested, I've added a new section to my profile with information about which stories will be updated when. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and thanks for giving this very unconventional pairing a try!

Chapter 2

They had only been sailing for a few hours when disaster struck and it struck hard. "Captain Wench, we've got trouble!" Not only was she going to have to watch Hidan's filthy mouth out with more soap, but she could see another ship off in the distance and it was flying the Spanish Flag!

"Exchange our flags!" Normally, that would be a good thing. "Put up a Spanish one!" Spanish ships often held lots of booty just ripe for the taking. "Now!" Unfortunately, that wasn't just a Spanish Flag. It was a Spanish _Armada_ Flag.

Thankfully, Nagato was on the case. He takes out the case filled with flags and changes theirs. They were far enough away, that Otoko was almost certain that they hadn't seen the Akatsuki Pirate Flag!

Truly, it was a beautiful flag. One with a black background and red clouds drifting in a sensual manner across it. Well at least it was sensual in her mind. Most other people those the red clouds symbolized blood. Which she supposed they could have, even if that hadn't been intentional.

Nagato smiles at her. "I've got the flags up, Captain!" To which Konan blows her lover a grateful kiss.

Konan had chosen well. More often than not, pirates were dogs. She should know. She had a ship full of them that she struggled to wrangle everyday. Nagato wasn't though. He had eyes only for the bluenette.

"Good." She looks carefully into the distance, trying to discern if there was only one ship or not.

Kakuzu was way ahead of her, having already taken out a scope to do exactly that. "It's only one." He looks down at her with a smirk. "If we take it, it'll mean a lot of loot, Captain!"

Of course, it would. Every Spanish Ship, it seemed was loaded. Probably because only the craziest of pirates would attack them. The Armada was feared far and wide. Still, if it was only one ship…there was no need to let such an opportunity go to waste.

"Well come on boys!" She brandishes her sword about. "Are ye, Akatsuki Pirates or milkmaids?! Let's prepare a proper greeting for our guests."

Kisame smirks and makes his way over to her. That was Kisame for you. The man was always itching for a fight. Which was really part of the reason why she had recruited him in the first place.

That and his face. Those teeth were intimidating to say the least and he really did look like his father had married a mermaid or something of that nature. Well it looked like Kisame's father had married a mermaid if one were feeling charitable, anyway. If one were not feeling charitable, they would say a shark.

"Alright." He grins at her, displaying those vicious looking pearly whites. "What's the plan?" Kisame sure loved flashing his teeth around and really, who could blame him? They certainly made quite the impression on everyone who saw them!

In reality, the red was a symbol of passion and fire. It was an interesting irony that the ocean only seemed to stroke her inner fire. Her desire for adventure and well, red had always been a royal color. The color of her birth family. So she thought it was only fitting to put it on their flag and on their clothes!

"Listen up, you flea-ridden scallywags!" It was always good to insult your crew. "Konan will present herself the Captain's gentle wife and Nagato will make himself all presentable like!" For some reason, it stimulated bonding.

It was a strange fact of life, but you could call most pirates whatever you wanted and they'd take it as a compliment. She spent at least an hour a day coming up with new insults to use.

It was quite the entertaining hobby to say the least, but Otoko was getting off track here. She needed to focus. They had some Spanish Dogs to deal with!

"Who you calling flea-ridden?!" Deidara pouts. "Aye?!"

Once again, Otoko wonders why she put up with half of these rascals? Oh well. They were rascals, but they were her rascals.

Konan slaps him upside the blonde head. "She could have called you a lot worse." The bluenette was now rolling her eyes. "Now come on. We've got work to do!"

Sasori nods as he climbs to the top of the mask. "I'm ready." Pretending to be adjusting it.

The reality of the situation was that he had carried two canisters with him of sleeping gas. That would knock the Spanish on the ground and they could just run them through with ease!

"Everyone else try to look respectable!" Zetsu had a point. "We don't want to give them any warning before we strike." Though for Zetsu that was kinda impossible.

The man looked like his mother had been a somehow gotten pregnant by seaweed or something. Otoko didn't mention it much directly. That would have been rude. Kisame was fine with shark jokes, but Zetsu was a little sensitive about it.

She nods at that. "Aye. Zetsu take ye mask." She smiles at him as she hands the man a black mask with red spirals and she puts her own mask on.

The orange mask was something she always wore while in pirate mode. To most of the world, she was known as Captain Tobi, but to her crew she was Captain Otoko Uchiha! There was a very special reason for that though. One that she tries her best not to dwell on.

 _Otoko had never known any life, but the one inside the palace walls its courtyard before that horrible day. That day that changed everything. The day when Madara scooped her up into his arms and her distant kin rode her away into the nearby city._

 _"Grandfather, what is happening?!" It hadn't made sense to her at the time._

 _None of it had. There had been a lot of whispering going on for the past few weeks, but suddenly chaos erupted as the Nobles had lunged for her family. The Uchiha Family had ruled over Britain for hundreds of years and was beloved, until now. Something had gone horribly wrong._

 _She was no princess. Her position on the family tree was on one of the smaller branches and the same was true of Madara. Though he was a war hero. The man was old and gray now, but he still was far more skilled with a sword than any young knight that Otoko had come across._

 _A fact that had probably saved her life. "The Nobles are blaming our family for the Plague spreading amongst us." That was outrageous! "They've turned on us and I'm afraid that it's too late for me." He handed her something._

 _"Why would they think such a thing?" She blinked as she looked down at the pouch and a strange orange mask. "What is this for?"_

 _"Someone has filled their head with lies." Clearly! "I don't know who did it and it matters little. In that pouch is gold and a deed to my ship." The Akatuski! "I'm giving it to you, along with this horse, and the mask."_

 _She frowned at that. Her grandfather made it sound as if he wasn't going with her. What not?!_

 _Otoko hugged him tightly, suddenly very much aware that she might never see him again. "I want you to come with me, but you won't." She sighed as she looked at the old man. "Will you?"_

 _"I cannot. I would only slow you down." He sighed as he caressed her cheek. "That gold, my ship, and a mask to protect your identity is what I can give you." He paused. "That and I might be able to buy you some time. They'll come through this way soon enough looking for survivors."_

 _They were worse than rabid animals! They would kill even those who were fleeing for their lives?! Disgusting filth!_

 _She bit her lower lip as she put the mask on. "Alright, but where should I set sail for?" Otoko's heart pounded with fear and the knowledge that she might never come back here._

 _The young Noble might never see her home again and it was almost certain she'd never see her family again. The Nobles were cutting them down like dogs. They had turned even their own armies against them. What hope did she and Madara, a young girl and an old man, have of standing against them?_

 _"Let the crew decide that. Just remember, life is a stage as they say." Madara smirked at her. "Playing the fool can take you much further than sticking your neck out, if worse comes to worst."_

 _Playing the fool? Her grandfather wanted her to pretend to be a simpleton? That thought brought a frown to her face._

 _"You want me to act as though I have lost all my wits?" It seemed rather counterproductive to her._

 _"If it saves your life, yes." Madara sighed. "Never let anyone, but your crew know that you're an Uchiha. You'll be hunted until the end of your days, if you do."_

 _So that was what her life was going to be now? Otoko Uchiha was now going to be a woman on the run? A ghost that sailed the Seven Seas with the Akatsuki?!_

 _Her grandfather looked so serious about it though. "Very well." She readjusted the mask. "If that is what it takes for you to go in peace and for our family line to continue, that is what I will do." To which Madara smiled and helped her onto the horse._

 _"Then Godspeed." And before she could protest further, he smacked the horse's rear and the beast took off at a full on run._

After that, there had been no turning back. She sighs at the thought as she looks at her reflection in the mirror. "It looks as though we're going to put on a show for the Spanish boys…" She glances at Konan. "And girls!" Otoko really needed to work on not slipping up like that or one of these days Konan might actually make _her_ walk the plank instead of Hidan!

* * *

A short while later, they were sailing and Sasuke was excited. He was always excited when they had a clear destination in mind because it meant something interesting was bound to happen! Well at least that's what the child had always claimed when Kakashi pressed him on the matter!

"Why is the ship called the Chidori?" He looks up at Kakashi curiously and so does Itachi.

He probably should have expected that at some point. Really, it was surprising that neither brother had asked before now. After all, they had asked about almost everything else.

"The name Chidori means 'one thousand birds." He smiles at the two princes.

The elder prince's look hadn't gone unnoticed by him. If Kakashi didn't answer, he would have had to deal with not one, but two sets of Bubble Eyes. And well, even a Pirate Captain like himself had his limits. Bubble Eyes could be quite lethal.

Itachi tilts his head at that. "Seems like an odd name for a ship." Yes, Kakashi supposed that it did.

"There's a good reason for it." He sighs and shakes his head. "Though it is a sad story indeed."

One that he had hoped he wouldn't have to tell Sasuke until he was a little older. Though Itachi was probably old enough to understand. He just hoped that Sasuke didn't put two and two together. He wasn't ready yet.

 _It had almost seemed as if the Heavens themselves were crying. It had rained for days following the funeral of the Uchiha Family. Most people believed they had been taken by the Plague, but Kakashi knew the truth._

 _The Nobles were traitors. "May they find peace!" The entire lot of them! "God save the King, Queen, their children, and everyone else who perished from the Plague!" Jiraiya was not a priest, but the man had been close to the Royal Family and had lead their 'flock' outside for a final goodbye._

 _A final goodbye that apparently included releasing a thousand white doves into the air. Doves that were meant to symbolize all of the victims of the Plague that year._

 _"May they go in peace!" He heard the crowd cry as one._

 _In reality, there were far more victims than doves. Still, it was the principle of the thing and it brought people comfort. That was what mattered and idly, Kakashi noted that they seemed to be flying towards the port._

 _How poetic. The birds that flew in the sky wanted to fly by the ships that helped men 'fly' across the waves. Waves that could have been formed by the tears of all those in attendance._

 _"They would have liked that." The symbolism. They would have liked the symbolism._

 _Whether real or faked tears, there wasn't a single dry eye in their procession. Some of them though, Kakashi knew to be hypocrites and merely acting. Though he knew better to actually say that and cause a scene._

 _He had to buy his time. Once this was over, he could make his way back to the ship he had purchased. The Akatsuki and sail away with the two princes. He'd keep them safe until they came of age._

 _"They are part of the Kingdom now." Jiraiya sighed._

 _When the time was right, he fully intended to help them take back their throne from this evil lot. They could all rots for all he cared. The Uchihas hadn't deserved what had happened to them._

 _Though by God's Grace, the vipers that were hiding in their midst would one day get their comeuppance! He swore it on his family's graves! The Uchihas might have been in the Kingdom now, but Kakashi was quite certain those vipers would end up in a far less pleasant location when all was said and done!_

"You named your ship after the birds that were released to honor Plague victims?" Itachi blinks.

Kakashi nods. "Yes, that's it exactly." Once the elder prince had thought about the matter long enough, he was sure that Itachi would understand why.

Sasuke thankfully was a little more innocent than that. "That's so sad." he shakes his head. "The Plague is an evil thing." The boy looks up at Kakashi with such trusting and naïve eyes that it almost made him wince.

He had lied to this child again and again. It was for his own safety, but that didn't matter. Sasuke didn't even know he was a prince. He had been denied his birthright in a way that even Itachi hadn't.

"Yes, it is." Kakashi nods. "A very evil thing." Though the Captain wasn't just speaking about the disease in this case. People could sometimes be even worse, but Sasuke was still young. He didn't need to know that just yet.

* * *

Danzo strides into the throne room and frowns at his wife. "Leave us." He waves off the guards who wisely retreat to just behind the rapidly closing doors of the place.

"So dramatic today." The beautiful woman raises an eyebrow.

He had never met a woman who was as bold as Kaguya before. Perhaps, that was part of the appeal. She wanted both nothing and everything from Danzo all at once.

The King wasn't feeling as indulgent as he normally would though. "Yes, I am being dramatic and for good reason." They had rumors flying about that could ruin them! "Have you heard what is being spoken of by the Peasants?" That the princes had survived!

"Rasa informed me of the tall tales." The lavender eyed beauty shrugs. "They flare up from time to time, but they've been missing the better part of a decade." That was true. "Anyone who believes they are just going to rise from the dead at this point is a fool."

Perhaps that was true. That didn't mean that the rumors weren't swirling around in a such a swift fashion that it made him uneasy though. In the dead of night, sometimes Danzo wondered if there was any merit to the rumors.

Could they have missed someone? If not the princes, perhaps another Uchiha? Theirs had been a fruitful line. It was possible someone could have slipped through their fingers.

"True enough." He sighs and shakes his head. "Though we both know that the entire Kingdom is made up of fools, especially the Nobles." If it wasn't, they wouldn't be King and Queen right now.

It was now his wife's turn to frown. "You may have a point." She takes a sip from her golden goblet. It was likely some expensive wine that the woman had no business drinking.

In public, the Queen presented herself as would be expected. In private though, well the woman was awash in vice. She almost made him look innocent and that was saying something considering he had committed treason against the Uchihas.

"Of course, I do." He quirks an eyebrow at her. "So I believe that is time for the two of us to decide what we are going to do about this matter!"

She merely nods her head and gestures for him to sit on the throne next to her. "Then it seems we have much to discuss." Kaguya pauses and smiles at him mockingly. "Husband."

* * *

The ship arrives next to them and that's when they allow the Spanish onto their vessel. They were flying a Spanish flag, so the idiots actually trusted them, Otoko muses.

"Welcome aboard our humble ship." Konan smiles as she curtsies at the Spanish Captain.

He smiles at her. "Many thanks, Gentle Lady." It was all Otoko could do not to snort at that.

Konan was about as far from a 'Gentle Lady' as it was possible to be. Though that really wasn't the point at the moment. What mattered most was killing these Spanish Swine!

"You're welcome to search our ship, of course." Nagato could clean up rather nicely when he wanted to. "We understand that it is only proper procedure and have nothing to hide."

That thought almost made her laugh. They had everything to hide, but it didn't matter. The Captain and all the men who were boarding their vessel would be dead within minutes and the Akatsuki would be all the richer for it!

"Thank you." The Captain shakes his head. "You wouldn't believe how many protest such a common procedure. It can be quite taxing to deal with all the bellowing and blubbering."

That's when Sasori releases the canisters of sleeping gas. "Oh I don't think that's going to be a problem anymore." Otoko reveals herself. "Are you feeling sleepy? Tehehe!"

It always confused people to hear a man's voice and see that the person was dressed as a woman. A woman wearing an orange mask who sounded like a simpleton or as Hidan was so fond of saying, a male chipmunk who had rabies.

Otoko had long ago learned that pretending to be a man while in her pirate disguise was a great way to confuse people just long enough to slit their throats. Though she didn't have to worry too much in this case. The gas was doing most of the work for them.

"LET'S HAVE SOME FUN NOW!" Deidara's voice cackles all around the ship. "AYE!" As the blonde lunges out hiding and straight at the Captain who had been sinking to his knees.

Otoko shakes her head as she watches Kakuzu, Hidan, Kisame, and Zetsu come out of hiding. They were all charging at the Spanish who had either sunk to their knees at this point or were trying not to.

"Don't be mean!" She giggles madly. "These are our friends. Why don't we sing them a lullaby first!" Otoko did love putting on a show as her grandfather had put it. "Just like Tobi's mother used to sing to Tobi because he was a good boy!"

Otoko referred to herself as a man while assuming the identity of Tobi. It just further confused people and maybe it was a bit sadistic, but she liked messing with people's heads. Though she didn't enjoy torture just for the sake of torture.

"Aye, Aye, Captain!" Konan was now running about and swinging her sword effortlessly.

Heads were rolling literally. It was a messy way to kill someone, but it was quick and painless if one had a sharp enough blade. Well so everyone said anyway. It wasn't as if anyone ever lived afterwards to confirm the theory.

"Have a drink, on me!" Hidan laughs as he kicks a barrel of ale at a few staggering Spanish men and it spills.

It spills open and the deck was coated with rich liquid. Which was more than enough to make the remaining Spanish trip over and well, from there Kakuzu, Zetsua, and Kisame chipped in. The three of them quickly made short work of the Spanish crew.

Otoko sighs and places her hands on her hips. "You all best be cleaning this mess, if you aren't hauling the loot onto the ship!" For a moment, she was tempted to take the Spanish Ship, but that was playing with fire.

The money that they stole from it would be more than enough. That and she would always be an Englishwoman at heart. Whether or not she was wearing a mask, she was still an Uchiha. Uchiha blood and English soil went together like Kakuzu and gambling! One was inseparable from the other!

"Aye, Aye, Captain!" They all groan together and Otoko just smiles.

This was quite the successful haul. It was also nice to hurt the Spanish, even if only a little. Though one thing was bothering her. She had a bad feeling that they were being watched.

She was being ridiculous though. Otoko tries to shake that thought away from her mind as she helps her crew load their stolen bounty onto the Akatsuki. That was where it belonged, really. The Spanish shouldn't have such fine gold!

"Well it looks like you made the right call." Konan laughs softly. "You won't believe all the goodies that are on that ship and they're just getting started." The bluenette gestures to some treasure chests that the men had already brought in.

If nothing else, Otoko had taught her crew to be efficient when it came to grabbing their stolen goods. After all, there wasn't much point in stealing them, if you couldn't keep them. Right?

"Wow." She blinks as she looks into one of the chests.

It was filled to the brim with gold, rubies, diamonds, and pearls. Perhaps, this ship had been on its way to the Queen herself. Though why was one ship hauling this kind of cargo? It didn't make any sense.

"I know what you're thinking." Sasori shakes his head, having finally gotten down from the mast. "They're probably trying to sail in an inconspicuous manner now. They know the English are targeting them and so are many of the braver pirate crews."

Ah well. That made sense. Sneaky and clever, but not quite sneaky and clever enough. The Queens of England and Spain may sit on pretty thrones that shined like the gold they were made out of, but Otoko was queen of something far better. The Akatsuki. Who needed a kingdom, when you had a ship?


	3. Chapter 3

Stormy Seas

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. This story has become something of a historical fiction. So for those of you who are interested, I decided to clarify a few things in the Chapter Notation below. With that being said, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

 **Chapter Notation:** This is loosely based on Queen Elizabeth's I reign, but I have added my own twist to it. I have nothing against Spain or the Spanish people. The rivalry between England and Spain during this time period just seemed like an interesting dynamic to explore for a fanfic. This story is not intended to reflect my personal views of any country or historical figure(s). Happy reading!

Chapter 3

"Kakashi, something strange is going on." Sasuke frowns as he points towards to ships in the distance.

The kid had good instincts. That much the Captain would admit freely. He could see two Spanish Ships in the distance, but only one of them was moving. In particular, it was moving some rather precious looking cargo onto its deck.

Itachi frowns at that. "Doesn't make sense. A resource transport would be done at a port." The eldest prince was certainly right about that much.

Why would they do it out in the middle of the ocean? What was the point of having an empty vessel travel about? Maybe, it was new technique designed to confuse pirates and the English?

"Kid is right." Gai looks at Kakashi. "What do you want to do about this Captain?"

That was a good question. Though it soon became very apparent what was actually going on when the second vessel sails off and the first didn't. The Spanish had been robbed by their own ship?!

"We'll follow them." Kakashi hesitates for a moment, but decides that was the wisest course of action. "They're either very clever pirates or traitors to Spain." The silver haired man certainly respected either group. "It doesn't really matter though because that ship is filled with loads of stolen cargo. Valuable stolen cargo."

Itachi beams at Kakashi. "Do I get to fight this time?" The eldest prince was such a bright boy most of the time, but every once in awhile he would say something outrageous like that!

"No!" The Captain shakes his head vigorously as he pats the youth on the head affectionately. "You mustn't put yourself at risk like that." And Itachi knew why! "Besides, someone has to watch Sasuke to ensure he's safe while we conduct the raid."

He probably shouldn't have said that while Sasuke was within earshot. The boy was always so eager to prove himself. Most of the time, it was positively endearing. Then there were times like these. Where it was maddening.

Sasuke unleashes one of his most fearsome weapons. "Kakashi, I can take care of myself now!" The Royal Pout!

This kid was going to be the death of him. Between his Bubble Eyes, his Royal Pout, and the Adorable Sulk. Honestly, were all children able to do it or was it just something unique to Itachi and Sasuke?

Kakashi wasn't really sure. He'd never spent that much time around children before becoming a pirate. In the end, it didn't matter. More than half the time, he caved to temptation when he saw those Bubble Eyes!

"Well they're certainly eager to see battle." Gai throws his head back and laughs at the sight.

His friend really wasn't helping! The last thing he needed was for his bushy browed First Mate to encourage the children to fight. They were the future of England! Whether they knew it or not and they couldn't risk them getting murdered in some tavern brawl!

Itachi sighs as he looks at Kakashi. "Fine, but I still want to continue my sword lessons." Of course.

The two princes were going to put those sword lessons to good use one day. Itachi would be King of England and Sasuke would be the prince. Well at least until his elder brother sired any sons, but still Sasuke would have an important position at the Royal Court either way.

Their positions would require them both to be skilled with a blade. That was why Kakashi was doing his damnest to make sure they both could handle a sword. At the moment, Itachi was using a real sword and Sasuke was still practicing with a wooden one though.

"Of course, we'll continue with your sword lessons." Kakashi smiles at him fondly.

Sasuke beams at that. "Good! I want a real sword just like Itachi gets to use!" Oh boy!

Heaven help him, what was he going to do with these children?! "Maybe in another year or two." Or three. Sasuke was still far too young to handle a real sword in his mind!

Sasuke sulks at that and Kakashi shakes his head. There were times when one simply had to be firm with children and this was one of those times. It was for their own good.

"I'll go and make sure we're on the same course they are." Gai chuckles as he ruffles the princes' hair affectionately before he swiftly departs to do exactly that.

Gai might be eccentric, but he was the best First Mate in all the Seven Seas in Kakashi's opinion. He had a heart of gold and Kakashi had never once had to doubt the other man's loyalty. Not only that, but he was a damn fine sailor and few could match his stamina in battle!

* * *

Itachi tilts his head as Gai was walking off and glances at Kakashi. "I've always wondered about something." Well this should be interesting. The eldest prince's observations and curiosities always were. "Why does First Mate Gai have black fuzzy caterpillars for eyebrows?" He had such a keen mind and WHAT?!

Well that particular musing causes Kakashi to fall over onto his backside in shock. "Those aren't caterpillars." He rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "Those are his natural eyebrows. Besides, they don't move." So they couldn't actually be caterpillars. "So they're not insects."

Now it was Sasuke's turn to tilt his head. "Maybe, they're dead caterpillars that he glued on." Where did these children get these crazy thoughts from?! "It wouldn't make sense to use live caterpillars for eyebrows because they would crawl off." Well he supposed that made sense in a bizarre way.

"Good Lord, Sasuke and Itachi." Kakashi shakes his head. "They're not caterpillars. Now, go wash up for supper!" He shoos them off.

Itachi leads his brother towards the kitchens. "I think you're right though." Kakashi twitches as he overhears that. "They're probably dead caterpillars."

"Yeah." Sasuke nods his head eagerly, not noticing Kakashi twitching in the background. "They have to be!"

* * *

They sailed for another two days before coming to a port. "Well at least the bay didn't give us any trouble." They had been lucky. Not one single storm. "So that's something." Otoko smiles with pleasure at that occurrence.

The Bay of Biscay was behaving itself rather marvelously, but unfortunately they needed food. "Wouldn't it have made more sense to just continue sailing straight to Spain for more targets?" Sasori looks at her, after exchanging the Spanish Flag for a French one.

It certainly would have been easier rather than stopping, but no. "We were running low on provisions." She smirks at him. "And do you really want Deidara to go stir crazy from being at Sea for too long?"

They all knew what happened when that man got bored. "Let's go spend some of our booty!" Sasori shivers at the thought as Deidara bounds over to him, grabs a large pouch full of gold and drags his best friend off.

Well at least Otoko thought they were best friends. Sometimes it was almost as if Deidara was a parasite that had latched onto Sasori and refused to let him go. Though the red head didn't seem to mind much.

Otoko was quite certain that deep down, he enjoyed the attention really. "Well Captain, what are ye orders?" Konan smiles at her friend.

She shakes her head and hands a piece of parchment to all of her friends. "Take twice as much gold as you need to buy what is on your list and the rest you may spend as you please." After all, prices did vary a bit from port to port and certainly from country to country.

It was important to keep her crew happy, but not to spend all their bounty at once. Which was why Otoko carefully planned for moments like these! When it came down to, the fastest way to cause a mutiny

"I think we should take three times as much as we need, just to be safe." Kakuzu grins at her.

He was such a greedy bastard! "Oi, ye scallywag!" Otoko whacks him upside the head. "Don't be going getting greedy and spending all our riches in one place!"

Hidan laughs, seeming to delight in Kakuzu's scolding. So Captain Uchiha did what any good captain would do! She smacked him upside the head too!

"Don't be putting on airs." She rolls her eyes. "I know ye were thinking about asking the very same thing!"

Nagato shakes his head in amusement as he takes Konan's hand. "Shall we, My Angel?" The man was dedicated and had some good lines. No one could deny him that!

"Yes, we shall." Konan laughs as she saunters off with her lover, arm and arm.

It must be nice to have that, she muses. To have a lover that you knew wouldn't stab you in your sleep. Unfortunately, Otoko couldn't risk pursing such things. Even if she found the right 'gentleman,' it would be a fool's errand.

She was an Uchiha. If anyone discovered that, the Captain knew her days were numbered. While she wasn't a princess, she was still of noble birth. Noble enough that she would be next in line for the throne, if there were no other Uchiha survivors.

She assumed there weren't, but Otoko didn't know that for sure. "Well let's see, Sasori and Deidara have already left. So have Konan and Pain. The lot of them are likely already off spending their stolen loot." After all, the Uchiha woman had managed to hide in plain sight for years. "Hmm. Hidan and Kakuzu are trying to sneak off with more gold than I said they could take." She glares at them for that. "Hmm… who am I missing?"

Zetsu shakes his head and snags the pouches out of comrades' hands. "Me." Oh right. Zetsu. "Don't put back the extra gold they were trying to sneak off with."

"Thank you, Zetsu." She smiles at him. "You can take another bag of gold with you for your trouble."

Kakuzu was less than thrilled with that! "Oi! How come he gets to take an extra bag?!" Greedy miser!

"Because he actually followed the rules and you didn't." She shakes her head in exasperation. "That's why. Now off with you flea ridden rats or I'll make ye walk to the plank!" She glares at the two gluttons!

That was enough to send them running. Hidan didn't want to walk the plank again and well, Kakuzu didn't want to walk it for the first time.

"Enjoy the city, My Lady." Zetsu smiles at Otoku as he slides her mask off and he departs.

She nods at him. "You too." They had a plan whenever they hit a port. Always be back by the next tide!

With that thought in mind and a pouch filled with gold in her hand, Otoko smiles as she follows the others into the city. This would be a most enjoyable day! She was in France and she had plenty of money to spend! What could be better than that?!

* * *

Scarcely two hours later, the Chidori also docks and the Uchiha Brothers quickly run off the ship onto the dock. They were both eager to touch land after being at Sea for so long!

"So this is Paris?" Sasuke beams at his brother.

Itachi pokes his forehead. "Foolish little brother. There is more to France than just Paris." He chuckles at Sasuke's naivety. "Though it is a beautiful city." Itachi was a proud Prince of England, but even he had to admit that. "No. We're in one of the coastal port cities." He smiles at him.

Sasuke really hated it when Itachi poked his forehead and his big brother did it a lot! He was not a little kid anymore! He could wield a sword and everything! (Granted it was a wooden sword, but it still counted)!

"That's right." Kakashi smiles as he follows them onto the dock with Gai not far behind. "Well for now, let's go and get a decent meal in us and then we'll have a look around for our fine friends." Friends? Which friends?

Gai shakes his head and laughs softly at Sasuke's confused expression. "He means the thieves." Oh right.

"But we're stealing for thieves." Sasuke frowns. "Doesn't that make us thieves too?"

Kakashi rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "Try not to worry about such things too much." He smiles at Sasuke as he leads the two boys and Gai to towards the nearest tavern.

* * *

Kaguya was furious! These damn peasants! She couldn't even enjoy a carriage ride without seeing something that was absolutely infuriating!

"Just smile and wave." Danzo looks at her as he does exactly that. "If you show your ire, that will only cause more friction between us and the peasants." His voice was a whisper, but it was designed to be that way.

The old fool wanted to keep up appearances, after all. They had to pretend they were deeply in love and that he was really whispering sweet nothings to her. Apparently, some people were actually foolish enough to believe those things were actually happening.

She waves and smiles though. "Long live High Prince Itachi and Prince Sasuke." Kaguya hisses at him under her breath. "Do you see what was written on that wall?!"

How could Danzo be so calm about this?! Whoever had written that had just committed treason! Itachi and Sasuke were both dead! Dead, dead! They were not coming back!

She was the Queen now and Danzo was her puppet. Well her 'King' in the public's eyes anyway. Why couldn't they accept that?! It had been years. Any survivors would have been discovered by now!

"I see it." He gives her a pointed look. "Though loosing your temper while we are out and about the people will only add fuel to the fire!" Again, more whispers.

She much preferred her consorts. Why did she have to remain married to this man again? Oh right. Children.

Kaguya couldn't stand the snot nosed brats and obviously, Danzo didn't expect her to sire any with him. They could easily blame them not having children on his age, but if he died…she would have to marry again.

Most likely, she would be forced to wed someone far younger than her current husband and someone far less agreeable to her plans! "I suppose you're right." So Kaguya would just wait until she was obviously past her childbearing years and then, she would have him killed. (If he wasn't already dead of old age)!

"Of course, I'm right." He smirks at her. "Your life would be much less vexing, if you just assumed that I was always right in the first place. I don't know why you always assume that I'm wrong about everything!" Because he usually was. That's why!

That day couldn't come soon enough. "Of course, My Lord Husband." Kaguya couldn't wait to see this man dead and buried!

* * *

A short while later, Kakashi was in the tavern with his 'little brother's, the princes, and Gai when a beautiful woman walks in while he was playing cards.

It was always enjoyable to play cards in a tavern when he had Sasuke and Itachi around. No one ever suspected that a man with two young children with him was going to cheat with cards.

"I'll take a bottle of your finest ale." The dark siren saunters up to the bartender.

Her hair was long and wild. Dark as the night sky and her eyes were crimson red. Eyes like that were rare. They had been rather common in the Uchiha Family and were still seen amongst some nobles and even in a few peasant families though. Exotic, but not enough to really be out of place.

The bartender looks at her like she had gone mad. "Well alright, Lass." he chuckles at her though. "I warn yet though. This will knock ye on your pretty little arse, if you're not careful!"

It was quite the pretty little arse. "It will take a lot more than this to knock me on my arse!" It certainly looked rather nice in the long sleeved white dress with her green and gold bodice clinging underneath some rather nicely shaped cleavage what he could see. "Believe me, I could drink ye under the table." The black leather knee high boots were also an interesting choice.

Though her words were even more so. Rarely did he hear a woman speak so bluntly, no matter her station. This could potentially end very badly or in an amusing manner.

"I doubt that." He shakes his head and the woman in question just smirks as she throws back the bottle, taking a rather impressive gulp of it.

Sasuke glances at Itachi. "She's perfect." To which the elder prince nods in agreement.

Kakashi always said he'd never marry. He and Sasuke knew that was absolute codswallop though. Their father/older brother figure just hadn't met the right woman.

That was understandable. He was a pirate now, but Kakashi was also a Noble in his own right. He owned some land and the money he had plundered as a pirate was worth a fortunate. It was just finding a woman who was willing to overlook his eccentric nature and how he got his riches that was the issue.

"Yes, she is." He nods at his foolish little brother approvingly. "Commence Operation Mermaid!" After all, the woman would be spending most of her time out at Sea on a pirate ship and a mermaid was a symbol of the Ocean. So it made sense to call it Operation Mermaid.

Sasuke beams at him and nods as he heads over to a nearby man. It didn't take much, Itachi notes to knock the man over just right. Just so that his hand lands on the woman's backside!

"Get your hands off my arse, you pervert!" Predictably, the lady was enraged.

She might be able to drink like a fish, but Itachi had noticed women tended to get _very_ angry when their backsides were touched. He wasn't really sure why, but it didn't matter at the moment! What mattered was that it had worked!

Kakashi nods as he backhands the man. "You heard the lady!" Yep. That was Kakashi alright.

He was a big pervert. Itachi knew that for a fact, but he didn't like it when other men touched women's backside and the women got upset. If they weren't upset though, well then he didn't seem to mind too much.

"Owe!" He glares at him. "I didn't touch her arse!"

The woman in question glares daggers at him. "Are ye calling me a liar?!" She was bristling with rage and it was a glorious sight to see, Itachi could see that Sasuke was struggling to hide his laughter.

The man gives her a look. "Well I might have, but it wasn't on purpose!" This was going to be fun!

"Will ye just leave this woman be in peace?!" Kakashi's hand was already reaching for his sword.

The woman wasn't particularly happy about that, but not for the reason Itachi expected. She was truly one of a kind, it seemed.

"I do not need ye or any man to protect me!" She glares at him. "I am Otoko U-Uma and I don't need your help!" For some reason, she looked slightly panicked at giving her last name, but Itachi pawns that off to her being nervous about Kakashi reaching for his sword.

Their Captain was currently gaping at her in disbelief. "Well I do beg your forgiveness, Miss Uma!" He kinda looked like a fish at the moment. "It seems that you are quite capable of looking after yourself. Can you ever forgive me?" The man seemed to be getting over his shock and was now mildly amused by the woman's behavior. Well at least that's what it looked like to Itachi, anyway!

She nods very seriously. "Yes, I'll over look it just this once." She throws some gold coins onto the counter. "For my drink." Giving Kakashi a dirty look. "Just this once though!" And before she said anything else, she tries to scurry out of the bar in a huff.

Kakashi didn't let her though. He reaches out for her arm and catches her by the wrist. Thank goodness for that!

Obviously, the Captain had the same good instincts that he and Sasuke possessed. He knew a fine woman when he saw one. Operation Mermaid was bound to be a success! A smashing success!

"I think he likes her." Sasuke laughs as he makes his way over to Itachi.

Itachi nods in agreement. "I think so too." He high fives Sasuke. "Well spotted."

Sasuke nods at him as Otoko whirls around. "I suggest you let me go this instance or I will gut thee like a fish!" Oh. Death threats. Those were a good sign!

Well at least that's what Gai said. Death threats were a sign of passion. The opposite of love wasn't hatred, he liked to say. It was apathy. Indifference was the highest insult really. Refusing to acknowledge someone's presence was far worse than a death threat. (Well at according to Mr. Caterpillar Eyebrows anyway)!

"Easy there." Gai chuckles as he strides over towards his friend and the feisty woman. "Kakashi meant no harm." He grins at her. "It's not his fault really. He's hardly the first man to get tongue-tied around a beautiful woman! Not everyone can be as charming as me."

Did the man want to get smacked? He was certainly acting like he wanted to get smacked in Itachi's opinion.

She rolls her eyes. "Ye are both sorry sea dogs!" Otoko looked rather close to smacking both of them. "What be your names?" She shakes her head. "So I can avoid thee like the Plague properly!"

"I'm Gai!" He shoots her an almost blindingly white smile. "Pleased to meet you beautiful and I'm quite certain that you'll become more accustomed to my charms in time!" Oh yeah. He definitely wanted smacked.

Sasuke shakes his head. "I'm seven and I know that he's bad with women." That was damn true.

Kakashi shakes his head and sighs. "I am sorry that we got off on the wrong foot." He smiles at her, trying to redeem himself. "I'm Kakashi and at your service, Lady Uma."

It wasn't working then. "Well Gai and Kakashi, ye best learn to mind your own business and leave women such as me in peace! We don't be needing you to meddle!" And with that, she walks off in a huff.

Sasuke tilts his head at Itachi. It was obvious that he was just as bewildered by the woman as he was.

"Do you think she likes him?" Itachi wasn't entirely sure.

Though he liked to think so. "Yeah. She didn't kick him below the belt or smash her bottle over his head." That could only mean one thing! It was true love!


	4. Chapter 4

Stormy Seas

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I do apologize that this one took me so long to update. The seas of real life were stormy for awhile and I got sidetracked by some of my other stories. Anyway, I do hope that you'll find this chapter was worth the wait. Happy reading.

Chapter 4

Several hours later, Kakashi was immensely frustrated. He couldn't believe that the they hadn't been able to raid that ship yet. It seemed that Lady Uma was a passenger on it though because she had come aboard it more than once.

"It's never not manned." Gai looks at his friend with a frown. "If we want the goods, we'd have to fight for them."

Normally, Kakashi wouldn't be opposed to such things. This wasn't normally though. They were all still docked in a port and that meant the authorities would be alerted, if a battle were to happen.

It was such a shame though. That ship was loaded with precious treasures, including one beautiful lass with a mouth that could make any sailor blush. Rarely, had he encountered a woman who spoke with such vulgarity. It was almost as disconcerting as it was refreshing.

All he could do was shrug. "Well we'll just find easier targets." Kakashi wouldn't mind having a go at it on the open sea, but in a port doing so would be nothing short of suicidal.

The Chidori's greatest asset was its speed. That meant very little, if there wasn't room to maneuver and there was also the fact that the other ship looked as though it might be better armed.

Not that such a thing had ever stopped him before. "Aye." It wasn't how many weapons and what kind you had necessarily that mattered in battle, it was more how you used them. "Say Captain, have you seen our favorite little rascals running around?" Wait. That didn't sound good.

Gai hadn't seen Itachi and Sasuke? "Now, that you mention it…I haven't. " That fact was beginning to fill him with a sense of dread. Had they lost them?!

Where were the princes? Kakashi had made sure to take them to their cabins upon their return and yet, he hadn't heard from them since. That wasn't like them. They were being very quiet. Too quiet, really.

Boys that age were never that quiet for such a long time. It violated some sort of fundamental law of nature. Kakashi was sure of it.

"I'll have to go and check on them." He sighs as he strides towards the cabin. "Gai, try to make sure that the ship doesn't blow up in the meantime." He was only half joking.

The Chidori had always had a fairly wild crew. Of course, they were far less wild than some other pirates, but still. It was the type of environment where one minute everything could be perfectly find and the next minute someone might decide that lighting a barrel of whiskey on fire was just a dandy idea.

That had actually happened once. Kakashi made sure that it never happened again. What kind of bloody idiot played with fire when you were on a ship in the middle of the ocean?!

"Itachi." Nevermind that. "Sasuke." He was getting distracted, Kakahsi thinks to himself as he knocks on the doors of the princes' cabins.

Upon hearing no response, he frowns and picks the locks. The boys were extremely foolish, if they actually thought that something as simple as a lock was going to keep him out of their room.

When he opens the door, Kakashi realizes something. "They're not here." The Uchiha Princes were gone!

* * *

Kaguya sighs as she enjoys some Irish Whiskey with one of her 'Ladies in Waiting.' In reality, Anko was anything, but a lady. Though everyone pretended otherwise for fear of earning the Queen's ire.

"What's troubling, My Queen?" Though that was precisely what the lavender eyed woman liked best about her.

Prim and proper ladies bored her to utter tears. Something that Danzo had figured out early on and to his credit, he had allowed her to choose suitable companions. She didn't care for the man at all, but at the very least he understood how things were supposed to work.

This was not a marriage. This was a partnership. She gave him a beautiful wife with an impressive pedigree to show off and he gave her power and freedom. It had worked out beautifully for the most part, even if his days were numbered.

Kaguya sighs as she takes another gulp of her whiskey. It was far from a proper drink for a woman, but that just made it taste all the better in her mind. There was nothing sweeter than the Forbidden Fruit. (Well forbidden whiskey in this case, but she digressed).

"I had another dream last night." A terrible dream.

She didn't know what she was going to do about them. Danzo's paranoia was rubbing off on her, Kaguya supposed. The occasional nightmare was to be expected. That was just part of life, but these nightmares felt so real.

 _Crying. Why did she hear crying and why was it coming from her throne room? Curious and a little alarmed, Kaguya had made her way there._

 _"It's alright, My Sweet Prince." A woman was trying to soothe her child._

 _A beautiful woman with long hair that was black as night and skin that shined like moonlight. She was also wearing a crown. Her crown!_

 _Enraged, Kaguya rushed towards her. "Get off of my throne!" How dare this woman sit on her throne?! Who did she think she was?!_

 _That's when she feels herself smacked against the wall by a powerful hand. She goes flying straight into a wall. Bruised and battered, she got up and spat out the blood that had pooled in her mouth._

 _When she saw her attacker's face, she screamed. "We all know that isn't really your throne." It couldn't be! It just couldn't be!_

 _It was Fugaku. The dead King. The King that she had removed from the throne by starting those rumors about the Plague and he was angry. Very angry. So was the young prince standing by his side and he had a knife._

 _"Prince Itachi?" She eyed the small child with horror. "King Fugaku, but it can't be you?"_

 _Fugaku smiled coldly at her. "Because we're dead." He shook his head. "Unfortunately for you, the dead do not always stay buried." He glanced down at his son. "Now, Itachi why don't you gut her like a fish as the Nobles did to us all those years ago?"_

 _Kaguya ran towards the exit, but she was stopped by the Queen. The Queen who was still carrying her youngest son. "Where are you going?" She smiled cruelly at her. Her pearly white teeth now displayed as menacingly as a shark's jaws. "I thought you wanted your throne back? Your crown?" That's when Kaguya saw her face._

 _Her face was still beautiful, despite being covered in the Plague. No! She couldn't let the Queen touch her or else she would fall victim to the disease as well!_

 _"You can keep it!" She needed to run! "Just spare me!"_

 _Mikoto's eyes were glowing red. "Oh no, I think that you still want it." Like a demon's. "After all, you were willing to kill for it. It was worth my life, my husband's life, and even our children's." She thrust the newborn into her hands as she placed the crown upon her head. "You didn't even care if a babe was killed. Just as long as you got to wear the crown and sit upon the throne."_

 _Those words were true, but Kaguya panicked. She panicked and dropped the young prince while running for her life._

 _Just then a bell rang. "You can run for now, Kaguya." It was the King's voice. "Just remember, the bell tolls for thee. You can't escape your Judgment for long."_

Anko shakes her head. "My Queen, perhaps you should speak with a physician about these dreams of yours." No! She would not! "They are becoming a rather common affliction for you." If she did that, they would think that she had gone mad. Kaguya would lose her crown!

"No." She shakes her head. "I'm sure that they're merely the result of an undercooked meal or something of that nature."

Anko looks less than convinced, but she nods her head in agreement. This was a wise decision on her part because Kaguya would not have tolerated any other reaction. A Lady In Waiting who didn't know when to shut their mouth, didn't last very long in Kaguya's Court.

Kaguya's Court. Not Mikoto's. _**Hers!**_

* * *

"We need to head back." Itachi looks at Sasuke. "Kakashi will likely be wondering where we are soon enough."

Sasuke couldn't help, but nod his head in agreement. They had done what needed to be done. The letter had been delivered. Now, all they could do was wait for Operation Mermaid to take off.

He smiles at his older brother. "Are you sure that she'll like it?" Who knew what sort of stuff girls liked in love letters?

"Oh I'm quite certain she'll adore it." Apparently, Itachi did.

That was just who his older brother was though. The man had been born seeming to know about every topic under the stars. There was almost nothing in Sasuke's mind, that his older brother couldn't handle.

It was as amazing as it was intimidating. He could only hope, that one day he'd grow up to be just as strong and smart as his big brother.

Sasuke grins at that. "Great. Did you leave a list of the port locations we will likely be heading too as well?" There was no point in leaving the love letter, if Lady Uma didn't know where to find it.

Uma. Hmm. It was such a strange name. She probably wasn't a native Frenchwoman, Sasuke decides.

"Yes, I did." Itachi assures him with a smile as the two of them quickly depart towards the Chidori. "Don't worry, I'm not an amateur."

Sasuke nods at that. "Like First Mate Gai." Why that man thought that he was God's gift to women was a mystery to Sasuke. He had rarely seen anyone wearing a skirt warm to him.

Itachi shakes his head as they bob and weave through the crowded streets. "Yes, like Gai." There were so many people around, that it was almost a given they were bound to run into someone.

The man they ran into was very tall with ashen skin and eyes that reminded Sasuke far too much of a snake. He instantly didn't like him, even though the gentleman was wearing a fine purple suit and matching hat with a dramatic feather attached to it.

"Careful now." He looks down at them. "You never know who is out wandering these streets and might not take kindly to being bumped into or worse, who might run off with two sweet boys such as yourself."

This man gave him the creeps. "Yes, we'll be careful." Itachi's eyes narrow as he holds onto Sasuke's hand tightly.

"Good." He tilts his head. "Hmm. You two look rather familiar for some reason." That's when Itachi's eyes widen in horror and he borrows Sasuke's wooden sword.

The very same wooden sword that he was forever carrying around with him. Sasuke never wanted to miss a chance to practice and apparently, neither did Itachi because he smacked the other man in the knees with it and they took off running.

"Itachi, who was that man?!" Sasuke looks at his brother in confusion as they race towards the ship.

His older brother shakes his head. "I don't know, but I pray that we'll never find out." With that being said, they finally approach the ship.

The two of them were nearly out of breath, but they managed to board it before the Feather Man could grab them. Had Itachi known that the man was actually the Duke of England and one of the nobles responsible for their parents' death, he wouldn't have just hit him in the knees. He would have killed him, but of course neither brother knew that.

"There you two are." Kakashi runs over to them. "Where the Bloody Hell did you two run off to?"

There was no time for that. "Kakashi, we're being chased by a bad Feather Man!" They had to get out of here.

Sasuke's every instinct was screaming at him that they needed to go. So he had to make sure that his other big brother knew that much too. Kakashi might not be related to them by blood, but he was almost like a brother to Sasuke. That and the closest thing that he had to a father. He'd keep them safe.

Sasuke didn't understand why, really. He knew that much though. The little boy had absolute faith in the perverted silver haired man. That was why he and Itachi were working so hard on Operation Mermaid, after all. The man deserved a good wife!

"I'll tell Gai that we need to leave immediately then." Kakashi gesture sfor them to follow him as he leads them towards his First Mate. "Gai, set sail for the next port. We need to leave a stalker behind."

Sasuke wasn't really sure what a stalker was, but it sounded bad. "It's alright, Sasuke." Itachi smiles at him. "We're safe now. There is no way he can catch us once we're in the water." Yeah. That was true.

The Sea meant safety. It was land that usually got them into trouble. At this point, Sasuke was far more used to being on as hip than not and that was for good reason. It was a pirate's life for him.

* * *

Speaking of a pirate's life, Otoko raises an eyebrow. "Did any of ye see that?" She could have sworn that she saw two children running away from her ship.

"I didn't see anything." Hidan shakes his head at her. "You're just seeing things, Captain." Well at least he had learned not to call her Captain Wench anymore.

One way or another, she'd teach Hidan to respect his superiors. If washing his mouth out with soap and forcing him to walk the plank didn't' do it, well she'd just be sure to think of something that would.

Nagato shakes his head as he shuffles the cards. "I didn't see anything either." The crew was playing cards while they waited for the next tide to carry them out. It was a good way to pass the time and besides, she enjoyed kicking all of their arses at the game.

Right. Maybe, she was just imagining things. That had to be it. "So what were you saying about the two scallywags?" Konan looks at her with concern.

Right. The scallywags. Honestly, Otoko couldn't believe men sometimes, even when they were trying to be helpful…they wound up being irritating more than half the time. Though the silver haired one did have a great arse. It might actually be better than Sasori's.

"I was just minding my won business when this scabby sea bass of a pervert grabbed me arse." It was awful. "He even had the nerve to lie about doing so." That only made it worse.

Deidara laughs at that as he takes his cards. "Well that happens sometimes." The blonde rarely stopped smiling, especially when he was sitting that close to Sasori. "Aye?"

Aye. That was true. Unfortunately, that was very true. Why couldn't it ever be someone that she would want to knock boots with that grabbed her arse? Why did it always have to be some pox faced menace?

"Hope ye at least managed to rob him blind." Kakuzu smiles at her.

She rolls her eyes at that thought. Honestly, that was all the man ever thought about. Money.

Otoko loved money as much as the next pirate, but the man was obsessed. Though that wasn't the thought time she had thought that, the Captain also knew it wouldn't be the last.

"I didn't rob him blind." She rolls her eyes once more. "Two men tried to play heroes for me. They thought I was some damsel in distress." Which had only pissed her off more.

Sasori shakes his head at that. "They obviously didn't know yet." He looks at his cards. "Pay them no mind."

That was wise advice. Otoko honestly didn't know why she was dwelling on the matter. Probably because silver hair in a man that young was rare and those damn eyebrows of his friend were likely going to haunt her until her dying day. They looked like dead caterpillars.

"Well I'm sure you put them in their place." Kisame smirks at her as Zetsu nods in agreement.

Damn right she did. "Obviously." She smirks at her crew. "Just like I'm about to do to all of you now." The Uchiha woman shows her winning hand. "So how much loot did I win this time?"

"Ten bags of gold." Kakuzu looks as though he wants to cry at that realization. "Damn ye." Which only makes Otoko giggle with glee.

* * *

Orochimaru couldn't believe it. Had that really been Prince Itachi and Sasuke? Logically, he knew that had to be impossible and yet, the boys had looked so much like the fallen princes.

"Is something troubling you, My Lord?" Kabuto looks at him.

Kabuto was his Royal Physical and rarely left his side. He'd had the boy saved from an orphanage when it became apparent he had a talent for medicine and the man hadn't left his side since.

"I'm not sure." He tilts his head. "Kabuto, you're closer to the Common Man than I am." There was no point in beating around the bush about such things. "Have you heard anything about the Uchiha Princes of late?" It was simply the truth. No peasant would dare to speak of such things in front of the Duke.

Kabuto pauses as he considers the question. "Well there are the usual whispers." The whispers never truly died. "Why do you ask?" The Peasant Class loved a good ghost story as much as the Noble Class did.

He wasn't sure how to answer that question. There was a good chance that his physician might think that he had taken leave of his senses. Still, if he couldn't trust Kabuto, who could he trust?

"I think I saw them." He shakes his head. "I probably imagined it, but do you think it could be true?" Orochimaru pauses and adds. "That there were survivors?"

Kabuto frowns at the thought. "I suppose it's possible, but the odds of two small children staying hidden for that long are almost nonexistent." That was true. "Unless they had someone looking after them. By now, they'd probably be nearly unrecognizable, especially Prince Sasuke." Yes, he had only been an infant at the time of the revolt.

The peasants must never find out about it or they would all be doomed. The Uchihas had been beloved, but Orochimaru had made out quite nicely in the chaos that followed. Certainly, Queen Kaguyra appreciated his talents and he'd become tenfold richer since the death of the Ruling Family because of it.

"Yes, I suppose you're right." Or was he?

* * *

Later that night, Otoko was enjoying a nice glass of wine with Konan, when she notices something on her bed. "Hmm. What's this?" She picks up the letter and begins to read.

It didn't take long for a blush to adorn her face. Who on Earth could have possibly wrote this? It was…well sinful enough that most 'decent' folks would have had to go Confession after writing such things.

 _ **My Dearest Lady,**_

 _ **I hope ye do not find me too forward, but I simply had to let ye know of my feelings before you disappeared. Forgive me, for sneaking onto your ship like a thief in the night. Though I assure you that I am after nothing more than your heart. All the treasures in the world could never measure up to that particular prize in my eyes.**_

 _ **You're beautiful. Anyone can see that. Your hair is black as night and as wild as the sea itself. Your eyes shine even more than the moon itself and you walk with a self assured gait that I have never seen another woman move with to date.**_

 _ **Though that isn't what drew me to you. What drew me to you was your fire. Your passion and desire. Your desire to prove that you could stand on your own two feet.**_

 _ **I am afraid that in my eagerness to get into your good graces, I may have committed a blunder. I should have left you to your own devices. I do hope that you will consider having mercy on a poor wretch such as myself. My name is Kakashi and if you should desire it, I would very much like to see you again. With that in mind, I have enclosed a list of locations that my crew and I will be sailing over the next few months.**_

 _ **I will understand, if you never want to see me again. The first impression that I made was unfavorable to say the least, but perhaps you wouldn't mind having mercy on me. It has hard to keep one's head above water, when they are drowning in the sea of beauty that is your eyes.**_

 _ **Eternally Yours, Kakashi.**_

"What's it say?" Konan smiles at her.

Otoko couldn't believe it, but for a moment she actually hesitated to tell her best friend. She had never kept a secret from Konan. The woman was her new Rin.

Rin was her dearest friend growing up in the palace. Sadly, Otoko had no idea what became of her. She couldn't exactly make inquiries about her to the palace guards or write the woman, after all.

That would be nothing short of suicidal. She was quite possibly the last Uchiha. The second she set foot in that place or they even suspected she might be alive, that would be the end of her. It really was that simple.

"It says many things." She blushes. "If I show you this, you have to sear on your parents' grave that you will tell no one what you saw?" Otoko knew that Konan took such vows seriously and if she made a vow like that, the woman would keep it.

The bluenette blinks in surprise. "Yes, I swear it." Good. Once that was settled, the Captain hands her the letter.

It took a moment or two for her dearest friend to read it, but once she did…Konan actually giggles. "Sounds like you've found yourself quite the charmer there." A slight frown mars her face a few seconds later though. "But how did he get onto the ship?" That was a very good question.

Otoko had been so bedazzled by the letter that she had missed the most important point. Somehow, the man had gotten onto her ship and into her cabin without her noticing. That was very dangerous.

"I don't know." She runs her fingers through her hair. "But I promise ye this much, I will find out!" Of that Otoko had little doubts.

She was the Captain of the Akatsuki. That meant that she had unlocked several of the countless mysterious of the Seven Seas. This was just another mystery to unlock really and that meant, she would find a way to solve this puzzle.

Konan nods at that. "I don't doubt that for a moment." She smiles at her slyly. "My Lady." To which Otoko gives her a dirty look and throws a pillow at the other lass. She was anything, but a Lady. She was a pirate!

"Save your titles for someone who deserves em." Otoko shakes her head. "I left that life behind me long ago." She grins at the other woman. "It's a pirate's life for me now!"


	5. Chapter 5

Stormy Seas

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I'm sorry that this chapter took so long to update. Real life and my other stories kinda took over. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Happy reading.

Chapter 5

A month had passed since Kakashi had met the beautiful woman with the mouth of a sailor and the 'bad Feather Man' had chased the princes. In that time, his crew had been enjoying life on the High Seas and occasionally stopping at various ports.

"Do you think that he's still following us?" Gai looks at Kakashi with concern.

The 'gentleman' whom Sasuke had referred to as 'the bad Feather Man' was actually Orochimaru. The Duke of England and one of the last people that Kakashi wanted anywhere near the boys.

He sighs at his First Mate's question. "I don't believe so." It was a logical one and the very same question that Kakashi couldn't stop asking himself late at night.

"You'd rather play it safe though." The bushy browed pirate nods.

Alright. Maybe, Sasuke and Itachi had a point. They really did look like dead caterpillars. Still, only a child would think of such a description, Kakashi muses to himself.

Fuzzy eyebrows aside, Gai was right. "That's true. That's why we've only been to half as many ports as usual." It was his way of being cautious.

Surely, they would have lost Orochimaru by now. They had to. If he found out about the princes, it was likely he'd either kill them himself or tell Queen Kaguya and that witch knew the brothers were alive, their days were numbered.

"We're going to have to dock tonight though." Gai frowns at that thought.

Yes, they couldn't put it off for much longer. At most they had another two weeks worth of provisions and Kakashi wasn't the sort of man who enjoyed pushing things that much.

He'd be late for anything that wasn't important, but never for grabbing supplies. His men counted on him to keep them fed. So that's exactly what he would do. Besides, he had two cute little princes to worry about as well.

Sasuke beams as he scurries over. "Does that mean we get to go into the city with you?" Honestly, there were times when Kakashi suspected the boy had rabbit ears.

Nothing escaped that child's notice and if anything, Itachi might be even worse. It was just that the eldest prince was far more tactful about his discoveries than his younger brother was. Kakashi pawned that off to Sasuke's age though.

"I doubt it." Itachi came running after his brother. "I'm sorry, but you know how Sasuke gets. He loves the Sea, but he also loves the city."

Yes, the Captain knew that much. Normally, it was all very endearing. This wasn't normally though. There was a chance that the Duke was still following them and Kakashi didn't know what he was supposed to do about that fact.

Itachi was only thirteen. He was too young to rule in his own right and a Regent would at best turn him into a Puppet King and at worst, have him assassinated. They needed more time.

"Yes, I know." Kakashi smiles at them and ruffles their hair. "We're going to dock tonight."

Upon hearing that, the brothers both grin. Which made what he was about to do next very, very difficult. He hated telling them know. He really was becoming too soft. Damn those Bubble Eyes of theirs.

Thankfully, Gai decides to be the bad guy. "With the Duke lurking about, it's best if you both stay on the ship. We'll have some of the crew stay behind just as a precautionary measure." The First Mate smiles at them.

Predictably, Sasuke sulks at that. He wasn't along in expressing his disappointment though. Kakashi caught more than one sigh from High Prince Itachi.

"I know, but it's better safe than sorry." He smiles at them.

Sasuke frowns at this. "I don't understand what a Duke would want with a bunch of sailors and pirates, anyway." The kid was too smart for his own good. "You'd think it'd be beneath him to worry about us."

Ideally, Kakashi wanted to keep it a secret until Itachi came of age. Unfortunately, it looked like that probably wasn't going to happen. Someday, he would have to tell Sasuke the truth. They all would.

Today would not be that day though. Not by a long shot. Well at least, not if the Captain had anything to say about it.

"Orochimaru has always been an eccentric man." Kakashi shrugs. "One never knows what goes on in his mind, but it is important to stay away from his kind."

Itachi nods rather quickly at that. "He regularly encourages the queen to lock people inside the Tower of London." Thank goodness that the eldest prince was quick on his feet.

Sasuke may not know much about politics, but the boy makes a face at that. If nothing else, he knew who the king and queen were. He also knew more than enough about what went on inside that tower to realize that no one wanted to go inside of it. (For very good reason).

"Alright." He sighs wistfully. "I wish that we could come with you, but we'll stay away from the Duke."

Kakashi smiles at that and nods approvingly. "Good." That was exactly what he wanted to hear as they set sail for one of the port cities of Spain.

* * *

Kaguya was absolutely furious. She couldn't believe this as she was dinning with the Duke. It had been a month since he had sent her a coded letter about 'The Sighting' as he called it.

"Are you sure that it was them?" She and Orochimaru were sitting down for a private dinner together. "How would one even be able to tell?" It had been years.

Perhaps, one might have recognized Itachi. Sasuke was another matter though. He had been so young the Royal Family was killed that he would have been unrecognizable to anyone.

Orochimaru sighs as he takes a sip from his glass of wine. "I can't be certain." If this was all a case of mistaken identity, Kaguya was at once going to be tremendously relieved and infuriated. "I presumed you would want to know in either case." Orochimaru pauses for a moment. "After all, even if they aren't the princes, they could claim to be the princes and there really is no way to prove they aren't conclusively."

That was a fair point. There was really no way to be sure. If they were the right age and looked enough like the princes, that would be more than enough to fool the Peasant Class at the very least.

"That's true enough." She takes a bit her wild boar.

As always the hospital staff had cooked everything to perfection. That was only to be expected though. Kaguya would accept nothing else in her castle. Only the best would do.

Orochimaru's eyes narrow. "What would you care to do about this situation?" She wasn't entirely sure.

"If we act on the matter that will lend credibility to any claims they make." That was the disturbing thing. "If we do not act though, it could come back to haunt us later."

Why couldn't the dead stay dead? There were always rumors that someone might have survived 'the Plague.' That much was just the natural course of things because peasants and nobles alike did so love to wag their tongues about all sorts of nonsense, but this was something entirely different.

If it really was them, there was a chance the brothers might try to claim their throne. Perhaps, she could be their Regent though and have them killed later?

After all, none of the Nobility wanted to be implicated in the crime anymore than she did. "Accurate enough. We can claim they are Spanish Pirates and have them hunted down though?" Hmm. That was quite the clever idea.

"Yes, we shall do that." She smiles slyly at Orochimaru. "Can you or anyone that was traveling with you draw a suitable portrait of the boys?" That would certainly make things easier.

Once they were executed as pirates, she could finally put this matter to rest. Though there was one problem. She didn't know what ship they were sailing on or who the Captain was.

Itachi was thirteen. He was caught somewhere between boy and man, but he couldn't sail a ship on his own. No. Someone else was helping them. Kaguya just had to figure out who.

"Of course." Orochimaru frowns though. "I believe Kakashi was sailing with them." Kakashi?

Well that would explain how two boys had stayed hidden for so long. Itachi had always been very bright, but surely the boy had been too young to keep himself and an infant in hiding when the nobility were scouring the countryside for them.

Kakashi was another matter though. Oh how Kaguya had despised him. He was far too clever for his own good and too popular with the women of Court.

 _"I wish that his station was just a little bit higher." A Baroness practically swooned._

 _Kaguya rolled her eyes at that. Kakashi had charmed yet another woman. Though it was merely flirtation. He was from nobility and his family owned some land. Though as far as the hierarchy went, the man was definitely in the middle of almost anything._

 _Almost anything. Except when it came to his looks , his intelligence, and his ability to charm the skirt off any woman, if he was so inclined. (Other than herself of course, Kaguya knew better than to fall for his act)._

 _"Yes, it's a shame." Another woman nodded. "Though my father would probably consider it marrying up." She giggled._

 _These women were all delusional. Did they sincerely not realize Kakashi was using them? The man was clearly fishing for information. Not a wife._

She always knew that he would cause her vexation at some point. If Orochimaru was right and it really was Kakashi, that meant he knew how to play this game. He'd try to hide them until they came of age.

"Get that portrait done immediately and have Kakashi's image added to it." They would all be hung like dogs. "We can't allow this to come to pass. It could spell the end of all of us."

The Uchihas had been too beloved. If the public ever found out what they had done, they'd all be ruined. It was as simple as that.

* * *

Later that night, Otoko was at the marketplace. She was dressed simply. Nothing about her clothing was designed to stand out. She looked every inch the part of a farmer's wife or daughter at the moment.

"It's a shame." Konan sighs as she walks along her side. "Haven't seen hide nor hair of your charmer."

Yes, that was true. Otoko found herself a bit disappointed by that. She shouldn't care though. Any man could say sweet words, if he really tried. (Well in this case, he had written them, but the Captain digressed).

Otoko shrugs at that. "Well the odds were low to begin with that I was ever going to see him again." Not everyone was like Nagato and Konan.

Speaking of her crew though, she and Konan weren't the only ones out and about. "Oh yeah!" Deidara laughs madly nearby with Sasori groaning at his side. "Look at all this gunpowder!" The others were as well.

Sasori was clearly exasperated by Deidara's loudmouth. It was a damn good thing that the blonde was so good at explosives, otherwise Otoko probably wouldn't have kept him around.

"Keep ye mouth shut!" The red head whacks his friend.

Good luck with that, Otoko thinks to herself in amusement. That simply wasn't going to happen.

Kisame was having fun with Hidan and Kakuzu nearby. "This is a fine sword." The blue skinned man was drawing more than a fair bit of attention from the crowd by swinging his sword all over the place.

Probably because it really was that massive. The sword was bigger than Otoko was! She'd never seen anything like it. Only Kisame.

"Probably ye an arm and a leg." Kazuku tilts his head thoughtfully.

Hidan smirks and laughs wildly. "Who gives a bloody fuck how much it costs?" He looks at it appreciatively. "It's a beauty and it'll lop people's head clear off." Otoko notices that people were now slowly backing away from the fearsome threesome.

"Did you see where Zetsu went?" Otoko tilts her head at Konan.

"I believe he went into a flower shop with Nagato." The bluenette laughs at that. "He does love to 'surrpise' me and Zetsu just loves flowers."

Right. Zetsu was Zetsu. Otoko doubted that he would ever really understand why a pirate was so obsessed with flowers (and really any plants), but he was good with a sword. That was all that really mattered.

As the busy sounds of the crowded marketplace surround her, Otoko sighs. "That does sound like them." She shouldn't, but the Uchiha woman found herself searching through the crowd…looking for a familiar head of silver hair.

* * *

Back on the ship, Itachi sighs as he plays another game of cards with Sasuke. "She's probably forgotten about him by now." Operation Mermaid had likely been a failure of epic proportions.

"I don't think so." Sasuke smiles at him as he shuffles. "True love can survive anything, even being miles apart."

Where Sasuke got these fanciful notions from, Itachi wasn't entirely sure. He did suspect that Gai might have played a role in their development though. Itachi found himself oddly grateful about that as he takes in the sight of their cabin, at least something about his foolish little brother's childhood had been normal.

"Yes, I suppose you're right." Itachi smiles as Sasuke sets out the cards.

A cabin on a pirate ship was no place for two princes and yet, here they were. For at least a few more years. Itachi found himself anticipating and dreading the day that Sasuke would be told the truth with equal measure. How would the other boy react? He'd likely feel betrayed at being kept in the dark for all these years, but really this was the only way he knew to keep Sasuke safe.

Sasuke grins and nods. "Of course, I'm right." He laughs mischievously. "Oh and I finally won!" He shows his cards. "A Royal Flush!"

That was ironic, Itachi observes wryly. "Yes, it does indeed seem that you won." He smiles at him.

* * *

Otoko should have known that something would happen. It always did when one was dealing with the Akatsuki. Apparently, Hidan had insulted someone and that started a brawl in the middle of the marketplace.

They hadn't even been there for an hour when she was forced to draw her sword. "Alright ye mangy dogs, time to lay down your weapons!" The men who were fighting gave her a strange look at first.

It took Otoko a moment to realize why. Right. She was still dressed like a farmer's wife. "Where did a pretty little thing like you get a sword like that?" it was no wonder why they were shocked she had a sword.

The Captain of the Akatsuki was in no mood to be called pretty or little though. Why did men always have to be terribly insulting, even when they were trying to give a woman a compliment? Well apparently, unless they were Kakashi or Nagato. (Credits to their gender, the two of them definitely were).

"Doesn't matter where I got it." She charges towards the brawl. "What matters is that I know how to use it. Now, for the last time…lower your weapons."

One of the men throws his head back in a loud belly laugh. "Ye have guts. I'll give you that lass." Uh huh. "Though you're crazy, if you think you can take us all on." He gestures to his friends.

"Oh she doesn't think that she can take you all on." Konan laughs as she races over to her friends side. "The woman knows that she can and that would be with one hand tied behind her back and without help." She glances at Otoko. "Shall we make short work of them?"

Yes, they would make short work of them. The scuffle was drawing entirely too much attention. Damn Hidan and his big fat mouth. She really was going to have to gag him one of these days.

* * *

"Kakashi, did you hear that?" Gai turns his head towards the sounds of a brawl.

Yes, he most certainly had heard it. Someone was getting into trouble. Very big trouble and where there was trouble, there might be money.

He nods at his friend. "Yes, I did. Approach with caution." After all, at least one of them had to stay alive long enough for Itachi to ascend to the throne. Whether that was him or Gai made little difference.

"Excuse me." Kakashi bumps into several people as they bob and weave their way through the crowd. "Terribly sorry about that." Again and again, they bumped into people.

This marketplace was entirely too busy. It felt like it was going to take ages to get to the fight. "Whoops." Gai must have been feeling the same way through because he had just barreled over a poor woman.

Luckily, they finally manage to get through and Kakashi blinks at the strange scene that was unfolding before his eyes. It was the woman from the tavern and she was fighting against a large group of men. Armed with sword and her female companions, the woman was now moving fast as lightning.

"You really shouldn't judge a book by its cover." An orange haired man smirks as he slams his fist into someone's face. "They're pretty, but they're like roses." His smirk never wavers. "Their thorns will cut you."

The man screams as blood gushes from his nose. That had been a direct hit. That much was obvious.

"Should we cut in?" Gai looks at his friend. "Those women look like their in distress."

Distress wasn't really how Kakashi would put it. The raven haired beauty was effortlessly dodging her attackers and her blue haired friend was faring just as well. He got the impression they were playing with them.

"YOU BASTARD!" The man with the broken nose, clutches it desperately. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

He swiftly rises to his feet and rushes towards him. The injured man didn't make it too far though. A sword was stuck right through him and unsheathed all in a matter of seconds.

"Honestly, that is no way to talk in front of child." Uma!

Uma had just killed a man and hadn't even blinked at it. This was certainly not a normal noble. Something strange was going on.

A silver haired man laughs madly. "Yeah. Watch ye bloody mouths!" Which Kakashi found a bit hypocritical given the man was cursing his arse off.

Uma was apparently not a normal woman. Her clothing had changed too much. Now, it was all beginning to make sense. She must be a pirate.

He had heard tell of female pirates. They were few and far between, but it wasn't unheard of. Kakashi also knew that it was more likely than not, that Uma wasn't her real name.

"Alrighty." A blue skin man grins. "I guess that it's time to take this new blade for a test drive!" He swings it around and slices through some of the men like butter.

Blood was gushing everywhere. Uma was now growing more alarmed. Clearly, she wasn't worried about the blood itself. She was worried about drawing too much attention as she should be.

A green eyed man unsheathes his own blade and joins the fray. Firsts, swords, and daggers were flying everywhere. It was complete chaos.

"No!" Gai's eyes widen in horror as a dagger goes flying straight towards the blue haired one, only for Uma to shove her onto the ground and take the hit.

Kakashi shares his horror, but his legs weren't as frozen as his friend's. He quickly dashes over to her and slams his sword into the ground of Uma's would be assassin.

By this time, the crowd was now running. There was blood in the streets and no one else wanted to get swept up into it. It was a wise move on their part. The clang of metal sounds throughout the marketplace and the smell of blood and sweat filled the air.

The pirates were clearly winning though. "You write me a beautiful letter and then I don't see you for a month." Otoko grumbles as she rises to her feet and fights back to back with Kakashi. "And now, you're trying to play the hero?"

Love letter? "Kakashi, do you want some help?" What letters, he thinks to himself as his First Mate's words pierce through the chaos.

"Yes, some help would be advised!" He thrusts his sword towards a brawler and looks at Uma in confusion. "I never sent you a letter."

"Does hair black as night and wild as the Sea as itself ring a bell?" She half growls at Kakashi as she slams her foot into the stomach of one of their opponents. "Do you truly write that many love letters that you can't remember who you sent them to?!"

He did not write that many love letters! Kakashi didn't even write them at all actually. Though of course, Uma wouldn't know that.

The Captain didn't believe she was lying though. There was a certain sincerity in her voice that was hard to fake and besides, what would she gain out of lying about something like this? Nothing. Nothing at all.

"THE POWER OF YOUTH WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED!" Gai charges headfirst into battle with his blade drawn.

Speaking of nothing at all, Gai obviously had no subtly. Oh well. This was a street brawl. It didn't matter that the other man wasn't exactly being discrete.

It was a good line though. It reminded him of something Itachi might say. Gai had been feeding the boys many romantic tales as of late and the eldest prince could be surprisingly poetic for a boy his age.

Itachi. Itachi must have written her a letter. "How did I sign my name on this letter?" He glances at her as the last of their foes fall before them.

"Eternally Yours, Kakashi." She raises an eyebrow as she tries to catch her breath. "Which you are clearly not, if you do not even remember writing the letter!"

That was a fair point. The woman did have every right to be angry. Though Kakashi was now convinced he knew exactly what was going on here.

He bows to her in apology. "My Lady, it seems that there has been a mistake." The silver haired man smiles at her. "I have two younger brothers and I believe the two of them were trying to play matchmaker."

She pauses as she looks him up and down. Kakashi suddenly felt rather naked under her piercing gaze and not in a good way. Uma was obviously assessing him.

"I'm not entirely sure that I believe you." She smirks at him. "I should like to meet these brothers of yours." Oh boy.

She couldn't possibly be serious. Though from the look in her eyes, Kakashi knew she was. "Well perhaps, just a quick meeting." After all, the odds the woman would recognize them as the Princes of England on sight were extraordinarily low and he didn't want her to think him a liar.

"Yes, I think that I should like to go and meet them now." She smiles slyly at him. "If these brothers actually exist, that shouldn't be a problem." This woman was just as maddening as she was beautiful, he decides.

He sighs and sheathes his weapon. "Very well." Still, it was hard to say no to a pair of eyes as lovely as hers. Idly, he wondered if Itachi had said anything about them or if he had just focused on her hair. It would be understandable if he had though, that was an impressive mane. (Still, Kakashi had more important things to worry about like keeping the princes' true identity a secret from Lady Uma).


	6. Chapter 6

Stormy Seas

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. Updates rates may slow because my schedule is getting busier, but at the moment I do not plans to abandon any of my stories. So with that in mind, I hope you all enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 6

 _Blood and lots of it._ Everyone else was at some wedding. Madara didn't care for such things anymore. It was just another display of the wasteful nature of the nobility, even in times like these.

"Half the country is only a decent meal or two away from starvation and they're having feasts." He rolls his eyes at the thought.

He might be old, but Madara could still move. His time had come and gone for the most part, but if there was one thing that the elderly man was very skilled at…it was playing the game.

 _You didn't get them all._ That was the message that he inscribed into Queen Kaguya's bedroom. In blood. Dark red blood. His own, but he had always been a fast healer.

Madara would have liked to make a longer message, but he didn't want to sacrifice more blood for the sake of it. Besides, that should be more than enough to frighten the queen.

Perhaps, they'd even get lucky. She might die of fright. He had been watching her for many years and especially lately, Kaguya was growing nervous and for good reason.

"I might not have many years left, but I'll make the most of the ones I do have." He had been old at the time of the attack, but now he was positively ancient.

That was why he had been spreading the rumors of the princes more. Madara knew that he was likely going to die relatively soon, but there was still time. Enough time to metaphorically spit in the harlot's face.

What a disgrace. She never should have sat on that throne. It went against the natural order of things and while he didn't have an army to reclaim it, Madara did have something else. Intelligence.

"I'll make them think that she's gone mad." He smirks to himself.

It would be wonderful, the Uchiha thinks to himself. Wonderful, if he did actually drive the wicked queen to madness and then maybe, they'd have her beheaded or locked away somewhere.

What would happen afterwards, he wasn't sure. Danzo would probably marry some poor, unfortunate girl. He'd likely try to spawn or pass of someone else's child as his own. Still, would that really be any worse than now?

He could always try to take Danzo down as well and that was certainly a possibility. "Though I'm not sure who would replace him." That was the only reason that Madara hesitated to kill that usurper.

A power vacuum was always the most dangerous thing that could happen. Both to those with noble blood and those without. It meant that anyone with a fancy family tree, might very well compete for the crown and often, there was much bloodshed before someone triumphed.

By the time someone finally emerged victorious in instances like this, the results were far from glorious. Burned fields that were full of bodies. That was what awaited anyone stupid enough to create a power vacuum. It was for that reason and that reason alone, why Madara had chosen to target only Kaguya.

"The fact that he's almost as old as me certainly helps as well." The elderly man chuckles.

Danzo was old. If he was being generous, Madara estimated he had at most another decade. In that time, someone else would rise up. He was quite certain of it. Though Madara also knew that he wouldn't be around to see it.

The blood was dripping down the walls and he smiles. "Well at least, I shall go out with a bang." That ought to frighten Kaguya half to death. With that pleasant thought on his mind, he slips off into the shadows for now. Being old wouldn't save him from the Tower, if he was caught.

* * *

Kakashi couldn't believe this. He was actually taking Lady Uma back to his ship. This was ridiculous. Why had he agreed to this? Damn Itachi.

"If it was truly your brothers' doing, then ye have nothing to worry about." Uma smiles at him slyly.

She was beautiful, but the woman was going to be the death of him. He was sure of it. It was alright though. Kakashi could do this. After all, the odds that she would recognize Itachi and Sasuke as being the long lost princes were slim.

Most people thought they were dead and those who didn't, well they surely wouldn't recognize Sasuke and the chance that they'd recognize Itachi, well that was hardly any better. He was likely worried for nothing.

"I suppose that's true." He smiles at her charmingly. "Though I have seen your skill with a blade and I have no wish to make an enemy of you." That was true.

The woman was quite skilled in a fight. That much was obvious. The woman was most assuredly a pirate and he didn't know what to make of that exactly. Kakashi just hoped that it didn't bode ill for the princes. That was something he would not tolerate.

"That would be a wise decision on your part." She smiles at him. "So where are your brothers?"

He knew what the odds were, but Kakashi's heart was pounding anyway. Well she had come with him and alone. If something happened, he could handle it because he had to.

"They're likely in their cabin." The silver haired man gestures for her to follow him. "Come." The woman was pirate. So she'd know all about cabins.

Uma nods at that as she trails off after the other Captain. Kakashi certain preferred her walking in front of him for the view, but hopefully she would see Sasuke and Itachi and drop the matter.

The less people these boys were exposed to, the better. There were still quite a few years between Itachi and kinghood. It was best to air on the side of caution for now.

"You're a bit on the bossy side." Uma laughs at him.

Kakashi wraps an arm around her. "Well I am a Captain." He was very much used to giving orders at this point. "So that may very well be why. Though I suspect the same is true for you." Because he knew one thing for damn sure at this point. Her name wasn't Uma and she was a pirate.

The woman was a mystery and perhaps, he'd solve it. Preferably without putting the boys in jeopardy. If anything happened to the princes, Kakashi sincerely didn't know what he would do.

* * *

"So who are you, anyway?" Konan stares Gai down.

It was an uncomfortable feeling. Truly, it was as if she was peering into his very soul and the First Mate didn't know how to feel about that. Well other than unsettled. He was very unsettled.

"We're the ones who just helped you win that brawl." Gai flashes her a winning smile.

Women everywhere instantly feel for his smile. After all, there was a reason why he was known as the Green Beast. He had plenty of animal magnetism to go around.

"Yes and we thank you for that." An orange haired man nods at him. "Though we're all rather curious why you came to our defense."

Maybe, he shouldn't have let Kakashi walk off with Lady Uma. These guys were sharks and they certainly didn't seem to mind fighting public places. Still, Gai could handle himself. He'd fight his way out, if he ahd to.

The Power of Youth was extremely strong. Nothing could stop it. Not even being outnumbered.

"Well it didn't seem like a fair fight and I have to admit, I think Kakashi has a soft spot for your leader." He smiles.

A blonde glares at him. "How do you know that she's our leader?" Well the pirate hadn't, until now. "Yeah?"

So his suspicions were correct. Lady Uma was indeed calling the shots. His best friend certainly did aim high.

Gai grins at them. "Well you know, the way she carries herself." When in doubt, one couldn't go wrong with flattery.

"Stop sucking up to her." A foulmouthed man scowls at him. "Otoko isn't even here to hear it and it's pretty obvious she's more into your friend anyway. Don't be pathetic and chase after he like a dog after a bone." Well that and he had added quite a lot of curse words to it.

The man needed to wash his mouth out with soap, even by pirate standards that had just been well appalling. What exactly was wrong with him? Gai had never run into a more crude individual and that was certainly saying something given his occupation.

"Hidan, be silent." Another man shakes his head. "This man and his friend did assist us in the fight. They're probably hoping to get paid, but that's only to be expected."

Hidan was the name of the foulmouthed one. Interesting. Though this green eyed man seemed to be more like a mercenary than anything else. Very, very interesting.

Otoko was Uma. She had to be. That name sounded vaguely familiar, but Gai couldn't place it for the life of him. Oh well. He just had to sit back and hope that Kakashi was alright.

"Don't me to fucking be silent, you mangy mutt!" Hidan glares at the other man. "Kakuzu you've really gotta start treating me with more respect than that. I'm a member of this crew! Same as you!"

If he ran to help Kakashi, they'd follow him. As soon as his back was exposed, they'd have the advantage.

Gai like to think of himself as an optimistic person by nature, but he wasn't stupid. His odds of survival in that case would be low. What would stop them from throwing knives at him in such a state or using their swords? Absolutely nothing.

"Both of you, quite your whining." A red head rolls his eyes at the lot of them. "You can settle this later. For now, let's just make sure this one doesn't run off because you know that she'll probably be right cross with us, if he does."

So that was it. They wanted to keep him her until their lady came back. Not that Gai could blame them for that. He would have done the exact same thing. Still, he'd be lying, if he said he wasn't uncomfortable with the idea of being held hostage.

* * *

The wedding had been beautiful. Nauseatingly so, really. If there was one event that the queen hated more than any other, it was a wedding.

Such things didn't matter though. It was necessary to attend events like that from time to time. After all, the last thing that she or Danzo needed was another uprising from the nobles.

"You look exhausted." Danzo looks at her. "Perhaps, you should retire to your chambers for the night." Yes, perhaps she should.

Mostly because Kaguya needed to start planning. Orochimaru had promised to kill the princes for her, but would that be enough? She didn't know and that was rather troubling.

She knew firsthand how fickle nobles could be. They were so easily manipulated. All one had to do was offer them more land, a more prestigious title, an advantageous marriage or something of that nature and they would generally do your bidding with great enthusiasm.

"That sounds like a fine idea." The queen nods at him.

There were advantages and disadvantages to this easily exploitable trait. It had certainly worked to Kaguya's advantage when she had used it to turn them against the Uchiha, but it could also be used against herself one day. A fact that she was very mindful of.

Danzo chuckles as they stride down the hall together and stop at her chambers. "I know you're tired because you never agree with me so readily otherwise." Well she hated her husband, but Kaguya couldn't rightfully call her stupid. The man did have more than enough intelligence to pose a risk later and that was just one of many reasons why she was planning on his early death.

"Yes, it was a long ceremony." Kaguya nods as she enters the room, only to scream.

Danzo's eyes widen in alarm as he follows her inside. "Kaguya, what is it?" She couldn't stop screaming as she points to the wall.

Her wall had a short, but terrifying message written on it. Written in blood. Fresh blood. That could mean only one thing. Someone had been in her room and very recently to make such a message.

"Dear Lord." Danzo covers his mouth in horror when he looks at the wall.

That was correct. Either someone had actually survived or someone wanted to make them think that there was a survivor. Either way certainly didn't bode well for them because there was a lunatic who had access to her room and if they had access to Kaguya's room, they likely had access to Danzo's.

"What are we going to do?" They had to tell someone about this.

Didn't they? No. They couldn't. that would only cause a panic. They had to play this safe, but it was just so damn terrifying.

Danzo frowns at the question. "I normally wouldn't suggest such a thing, but I do think it might be best if you rested in my chambers until we figure out what is going on." He normally wouldn't suggest that because Danzo wasn't a suicidal man, but as Kaguya looks at that blood…she finds herself nodding her head.

"Yes, that might be best." She sighs.

What other choice did she have? If the queen started using other quarters, the servants would talk and that was the last thing that either of them needed to deal with.

Danzo sighs as he looks at the wall. "First, we'll have to wash that off." That was true. "We can hardly entrust a servant to do so. They might tell someone what they saw." That was also true and they couldn't allow such a thing to happen.

"You're right." Kaguya sighs as she gets some water and a cloth. "We'll start with that and then figure out what to do about this unpleasantness."

She was supposed to be a queen. Kaguya was supposed to know what was going on in her household at all times, but an intruder had violated her most sacred space and for that, they would pay and they would pay dearly. She would make sure of it.

* * *

Otoko allows herself to be lead off into a cabin by Kakashi. What she saw there shocked her. There were two boys. One was probably around thirteen summers and the other about seven, but that wasn't what was so shocking. What was shocking is that she recognized them.

At least, she thought that she did. "Itachi?" The eldest one, she almost certainly did. "Sasuke?" The second though it would be harder to tell, were he not the spitting image of Queen Mikoto.

"Yes, how do you know us though?" Itachi tilts his head in confusion.

It was likely the boy was wondering whether or not, they had given their name to her at the tavern and for very good reason. If these two really were the lost princes, they had to hide their true identity for the same reason that she did. They'd be dead, if the wrong people found out.

She bites her lower lip. Otoko wasn't entirely sure that she should tell them. "I heard someone call you that at the tavern." It was believable for now.

Kakashi was either a sweet talker or Itachi had written her that letter in hopes that she and Kakash would warm to each other. That was sweet, but it wasn't enough to tell them that she knew. There was a good chance that the silver haired man would try to throw her overboard, if he knew she knew.

So for now, she would hold her cards close to her vest. It was the proper thing to do. It was the smart thing to do. So why did she feel so bad about it?

"Oh." Sasuke smiles at her. "That makes sense. So was Operation Mermaid a success?"

Operation Mermaid? What on Earth was this sweet child talking about? Then it dawned on her. The two princes had obviously conspired together to come up with that love letter.

Sasuke was so young. He was likely still taken to flights of fancy as children of his age often are and Itachi had probably humored him. Humored him by writing that letter. It all made sense now.

Kakashi rolls his eyes playfully as he messes up their hair. "I told you that it was these rascals." He did seem to act as their older brother rather well, but Otoko found herself almost tongue-tied.

How had the man managed to keep the princes hidden for all these years? Granted, she had managed it, but that was mostly because of her grandfather's sacrifice and she had been far older than either of the princes.

This was nothing short of miracle. It defied all logic that Itachi and Sasuke were still alive. They had somehow survived not only the initial slaughter, but thanks to Kakashi…they had seemed to thrive even years afterwards.

"Yes, it seems that you were not telling me a falsehood, after all." Well other than them being his brothers.

They weren't his brothers. Kakashi wasn't an Uchiha. She knew that much for sure, but somehow he had kept them safe.

Otoko had never really given much thought to England as a whole after the Massacre. All she had been concerned about was not being found out and getting rich. Now, she realized that was somewhat selfish at best.

A false queen and king sat on the throne and the people were suffering for it. "He would never lie to such a pretty lady." Sasuke innocently smiles at her and Otoko again winces at her own selfishness.

These two should be the next rulers of England. Not Kaguya and Danzo. Those two should be rotting in the dungeons for what they had done. They didn't deserve to live in the lap of luxury.

"You certainly are a charmer." She smiles at Sasuke, but rolls her eyes at Kakashi. "I wonder where he gets that from?"

It seemed like the Captain had an influenced them both. He might be pretending to be their brother, but Kakashi was also likely the closest thing to a father that either of them had and he had kept them safe for so long. She couldn't separate them.

Otoko might be their blood, but it was Kakashi who was truly their family. For now, anyway. It was time that she started acting like their kin. By protecting them. After all, the more people these children had protecting them…the better their chances of surviving to adulthood.

"Yes, I do admit that I played a role." Kakashi shakes his head in amusement. "Though it was likely that they were far more influence by Gai than I."

Somehow Otoko doubted that. One thing she didn't doubt though was that she knew what the right thing to do was. The only question was whether or not Kakashi would let her do it. Well, she supposed there was no way to know for sure until she asked.

"We should combine crews." She shakes her head and laughs. "Someone has to make sure the boys grow up properly and don't end up being forced to walk the plank because they said the wrong thing to the wrong lass."

It was a gamble, but it was one she had to take. The princes were her blood and more importantly, they were the rightful heirs to that throne. They might not have an army, but that could be remedied in time. Otoko just wasn't sure how exactly, but it would.

Fate. It had to be fate. What else could explain all this? Surely, fate wasn't such a cruel mistress that she had allowed these boys to be spared, only for them to perish a few years later.

"What?" Kakashi blinks at her in astonishment.

No. Otoko was sure of it. One day Itachi would be king and Sasuke would be the prince and they both knock that bitch off the throne and it would be a glorious day to behold. She just hoped that she actually lived long enough to see it because helping them was even more risky than robbing Spanish Ships.

That wouldn't stop her though. She was a pirate. Otoko Uchiha was not someone who scared easily.


	7. Chapter 7

Stormy Seas

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I do apologize that this one took so long to update. I got caught up updating some of my other stories. Anyway, happy reading.

Chapter 7

 _The woman was stark, raving mad._ Less than a day had passed since she laid eyes on Itachi and Sasuke and Uma had already firmly integrated herself into their lives. He probably should have expected that though. The woman was a pirate.

"It's all in the wrist." Uma instructs Sasuke.

Little Sasuke who was now prancing about with his wooden sword. It was a rather endearing sight, but that wouldn't be enough to save him in a real fight. Still, the boy was improving by leaps and bounds and it had only been one informal lesson so far.

He turns his attention towards Konan. The blue haired woman was apparently Uma's First Mate and apparently, she was somehow romantically involved with the orange haired one who went by the name Pain.

"Would you mind telling me, what the Devil is going on?" The silver haired man had never been so lost in his entire life.

Fortunately, Konan didn't seem to mind humoring him. "Well you've just joined the Akatsuki." What?!

That couldn't be true. Granted, it was now undeniable that Lady Uma was actually a pirate. He had just never imagined that she was part of the most infamous crews to have ever sailed the Seven Seas.

"Don't looked so shocked." Pain smiles kindly at him as though he found the entire situation dreadfully entertaining. "You should have known that it was us by the way we fought."

Alright. That was a fair point. Though Kakashi wasn't sure that the princes were going to be safer with the Akatsuki or away from them. For some reason though, Uma did appear particularly attached to the boys.

Perhaps, it was some maternal instinct. At her age, most women already had one or two children. Why she had become a pirate, Kakashi wasn't sure. She certainly didn't look like she lacked for suitors. Was the Ocean's Call really that impossible for her to resist?

He sighs and nods in defeat. "That's true." He glances back towards Uma and Sasuke. "So what is her real name because I know that it isn't Uma."

The Captain knew little about the lass who was currently chasing Sasuke all over the place with a wooden sword, but he knew that she hadn't given him her real name. He didn't hold it against her though. The woman didn't know him at all and giving out her name would have been a rather stupid thing to do.

"Well he's joined the crew." A blonde man with hair finer than almost any actual lass's bounds over to them with a giant grin on his face and a flask of ale in his hand. "So he should know her name. Yeah?"

Uma must have heard that though because she hands her wooden sword to Itachi. "Practice with your brother." Not only that, but she was striding towards them. Well, perhaps charging towards them would have been more accurate.

"Oh boy." Hidan rolls his eyes at Uma's stalking, seeming rather unimpressed. "Now, you've gone and made the wench mad."

The one with the foul mouth, his name was Hidan from what Kakashi had gathered. Hidan apparently had a death wish of some kind. There was just no getting around that fact.

Kisame releases a loud belly laugh. "You want to walk the plank again, don't cha?" Again?! Hidan had already walked the plank?

"He should walk the plank." Itachi smiles slyly at that. "He's been disrespecting a Captain and a Lady. That is highly improper." He pauses and adds. "Borderline mutiny, really."

Wonderful. Now, Itachi was egging them all on. He'd have to have a talk to the eldest prince about when to keep quiet.

"Itachi is absolutely right!" Gai strikes yet another dramatic pose. "It is not very youthful to speak to such a lovely lady in such a disgusting way. You're setting a very poor example for the boys."

Good Lord, Kakashi was starting to wonder if he was the only sane person on this ship. It was certainly starting to look that way.

"That's right." Sasuke nods his head determinedly.

Oh for goodness sakes, even the young prince was getting in on this. Hidan was definitely outnumbered here. Kakashi was almost starting to feel sorry for the man.

Otoko shakes her head and sighs. "As you can see, we're the finest crew ever to sail." They were also the most modest, Kakashi thinks to himself in amusement. "Though the lot of them are mad as hatters." Well, he couldn't argue with her there.

"We ain't crazy!" Kakuzu raises an eyebrow at her.

Kakashi would very much beg to differ, but it didn't matter now. What mattered was figuring out who exactly this woman was and why she was so protective of the princes. He wanted to pawn it off to just her being maternal, but the way Uma had looked at them spoke volumes.

"You scurvy dogs are all right insane and ye know it!" If nothing else, it appeared she was a mostly honest individual. "I am truly sorry for them." She shakes her head and crosses her arms. "Since ye will be sailing with us, it wouldn't be right not to tell ye my real name. Otoko."

Hmm. He had expected it to start with the letter U. That was just her first name though. Why did it sound familiar to him? Kakashi was almost certain he had heard it before, but he just couldn't place it.

"Tis a fine name." Kakashi nods and Gai elbows him encouragingly at that.

He did appreciate his friend's help, but that didn't mean it was the right time. This woman was the Captain of the Akatsuki. That could only mean one thing. Otoko wasn't her only name. Lady Uma was Tobi.

* * *

"Did you hear?" A servant was speaking to another servant.

Neither of them knew that Kaguya was inside her bedchambers and could hear every word that they were saying. Which was fine. One learned far more that way.

"Yes, I heard." Kurenai. That was Lady Kurenai's voice. "Though you best not speak of it, Shizune." The woman was a minor noble, but rather beloved in the castle. She was also smart.

Unfortunately, the maid was a little less cautious. "Blood in the queen's chambers." That or Shizune was just scared out of her wits. Kaguya wasn't entirely sure which.

Blood was enough to send most servants screaming. It wasn't entirely the woman's fault that she was feeling so chatty. Still, Kaguya would have to watch her. She couldn't afford to let more rumors spread.

"You mustn't speak of that." The Lady was attempting to calm Shizune. "It will only upset the queen and no good will come of it. I trust that the king and queen are already having the matter thoroughly investigated." That was true.

When Kaguya found out who did it, she was going to hang them. That or leave them to rot in the Tower. How dare someone invade her private quarters in a bid to terrorize her?!

"Unless, it's not someone who is trying to scare me." Kaguya gazes at the wall in horror.

Could it really be them though? The ghosts of the Uchihas? Come back to haunt her after all these years?

No. It couldn't be. That was just her nerves talking. Still, she couldn't deny that the memory of her dream was still haunting. Badly.

 _The king's eyes started at her so coldly. "Unfortunately for you, the dead do not always stay buried." He turned his attention to his son. "Now, Itachi. Why don't you gut her like a fish as those Nobles did to us all those years ago?"_

 _She ran of course. That was until she saw the queen. The queen who was still carrying her youngest son in her arms._

 _"You didn't even care if a babe was killed. Just as long as you got to sit upon the throne and wear the crown." Mikoto's words had cut through her like a knife._

 _She couldn't lie to the beautifully terrifying spirit that was glaring at her so. Neither could she run from the truth of the king's words. The king who had followed her._

 _"The bell tolls for thee. You can't escape your Judgment for long." The king had warned her._

The dream still haunted her every night. Kaguya no longer knew what she was going to do. Slowly, but surely she was going mad.

"Yes, you're right." Shizune's voice again.

The young woman might not realize it, but there was a very good chance that Kurenai had saved her life. Loose lips like hers tended to lead to one's early demise.

She could easily picture Kurenai nodding as she leads the other woman off. "Of course, I'm right." Smiling at her. "Do not let it trouble you anymore." Reassuringly as if she didn't have a care in the world.

That was what was so irritating about people like Kurenai and Mikoto. They were fearsome opponents because they disarmed you with sweet smiles. Luckily though, Kurenai was no Mikoto Uchiha.

The woman lacked her ruthlessness. No. Kurenai was a young mother and that meant she was no longer a real player in the world of intrigue that simmered between the castle's beautiful walls. She'd rather play it safe than climb to a higher position.

"One of the reasons why I never wanted to become a mother, really." Once you did that, your life was no longer your own.

Kaguya suspected it was the same for fathers as well. Though she had never cared enough to ask. For her, there would be no babies. Only diamonds, pearls, and other precious stones as she ruled England as its queen. Those were all the children she would ever need.

* * *

Later that night, Otoko goes to her cabin. She was rather surprised to see that Kakashi was there. Well she was surprised and yet, she was not. This was Kakashi. The man did seem to love scaring her half to death.

"What do ye want?" They had thoroughly explained everything that the man had needed to know earlier that day.

The silver haired and tongued devil didn't need to know that her last name was Uchiha. He certainly didn't need to know why Otoko had recognized the princes with ease. No, all the other Captain needed to know that they were going to be sailing the Seven Seas together for awhile.

Kakashi chuckles at that. "There is no need to snarl at me so." There was every need.

The last thing that she needed was to fall for a bunch of sweet words and reveal her true identity. Bad enough that he already knew her first name. He sure as Hell wasn't going to charm her out of her maiden one.

"There can only be one Captain, you know?" She might as well try to be professional.

If she gave him the cold, but cordial shoulder that would be enough. That would be enough to keep him from running off, but also to keep her from falling into his arms.

Surely, the man had some good qualities. Her cousins adored him. Otoko could see the way they looked at the other man. It was written all over their faces. Clear as day.

He shakes his head and smiles. "Well if My Lady wishes to be Captain, I will of course step aside for the duration of our travels with one another." She didn't know what shocked her more. The fact that he would actually do that or that he was still treating her like she was some pampered Noble.

"Good." She rolls her eyes. "You best not be coddling me though because I wear corsets instead of trousers sometimes."

Otoko hadn't been that for many, many years. She could scarcely remember what her life had been like in the palace. Though she had seen his kind before. The kind that could charm the skirt off of a Nun.

 _"My, you are quite the charmer." Guren laughed._

 _There was that boy again. He was always flirting with everyone. Otoko couldn't remember his name for some reason._

 _She should have known his name. He was of Nobility, but far enough removed from the throne that few would consider him a threat. Close enough though, that he wasn't discounted entirely either._

 _The silver haired youth smiled and kissed her hand. "I do aim to please, My Lady." A common gesture, but for some reason it looked more elegant when he did it._

 _The boy was about her age. She didn't know what it was about him that seemed well more experienced than her. They had both grown up in the castle._

 _Oh well. Otoko had just never been as skilled at such things. She would much rather ride on her horse or climb a tree than take lessons in etiquette and embroidery._

 _"Lord help us all in a few years." She chuckles. "Now, be a good lad and take this to the seamstress, please." The other woman handed the boy a dress. "Thank you, Kakashi."_

 _Kakashi! That was his name! Right. Well damn Kakashi. Somehow he manages to amble off with a dress in his arms as if he didn't look utterly ridiculous or embarrassed about the fact. Most boys would have._

"That's fine with me." Kakashi chuckles at her. His eyes dancing with undisguised mirth. "I imagine that you look far better in a corset than I do."

That damn pervert! It was him. The boy from the castle. It really was a small world, after all.

 _ **SMACK!**_ "Kindly do not spend such an inordinate amount of time pondering what I look like in a corset. You forget yourself." That was something that a Lady would have said back in her old life. She was sure of it.

Kakashi blinks as he rubs his cheek. His cheek which was now bruising quite quickly. Perhaps, she had hit him just a little too hard.

"Yes, I suppose that I did." He didn't seem angry with her for striking him. "I only spoke the truth, but it's very apparent how you became a Pirate Captain. You are certainly a lot stronger than you look."

Well she wasn't really sure how to take that. Okoto decides since she backhanded him, a backhanded compliment was fine. She had made her point. She wouldn't succumb to any flirtation or engage in any banter.

Her goal was to protect her cousins. That was that. Besides, she had to keep her own identity a secret. The princes weren't the only ones who would be executed on sight, if they were identified.

* * *

This was utterly ridiculous. Orochimaru hadn't seen hide, nor hair of them. They had slipped right through his fingers.

"We had better hurry." Kabuto sighs as he looks at the other man. "The queen is not known for her patience."

That was true. Orochimaru had been half tempted not to tell Kaguya anything. Though he knew better than that. If she found out later on that the princes had been running around and he didn't tell her, well he would have been a dead man. It was as simple as that.

Still, that didn't solve their problems. "I've commissioned some ships to look for the ship they left on." It was a long shot.

If it was really them, they were probably switching vessels all the time. Sadly, that was all they had to go on at the moment. So they had best make the best of it.

"Good." Kabuto shakes his head.

It was likely that he couldn't believe this situation anymore than Orochimaru could. After all this time, the ghosts of the past were returning to haunt them. Whether it was merely their memory and their minds playing tricks on them or the princes had actually survived, he didn't know.

Orochimaru did know one thing though. They were going to find out. They had to. Things like this could simply not be left to chance.

* * *

Kakashi had gone into Otoko's cabin. That could only mean one thing. "Itachi, it's time for Operation Mermaid." They had to strike quickly.

Adults could be so silly sometimes. Why they refused to acknowledge the obvious was frankly beyond Sasuke. There was something about getting bigger than just meant even the most simple things became harder.

"You're right." Itachi smirks at his brother. "Alrlight, Sasuke. You know what to do. Right?"

Of course, he did. Their plan was amazing because it was so easy to understand and those two would never see it coming. Sasuke might only be a small child, but he knew what it looked like when grownups were in love.

They just had to give them a little nudge. Then Kakashi wouldn't be as lonely anymore. Sure, he had Gai and them, but that wasn't the same. Well at least, that's what his brother said and Itachi would never lie to Sasuke.

"I know." He smiles at his brother. "I think the door is unlocked. So you better get running."

Itachi smiles at that and proceeds to dash straight across the top of the ship and into the Otoko's Cabin with Sasuke hot in pursuit. This was going to be fun.

"Sasuke, stop that!" Itachi was running and running.

Straight into that cabin. "You're going to poke someone's eyes out." Judging from the shocked looks on Otoko's and Kakashi's faces, their plan was working. Operation Mermaid was going to be a smashing success. He just knew it.

* * *

"Whoa." Kakashi blinks as Sasuke scurries into the cabin, after Itachi. "Sasuke, calm down."

His brother was playing his role to perfection. Itachi was really proud of him. This was going so well. Kakashi didn't suspect a thing. Now, they just had to maneuver in just the right way to bump them into each other.

'True Love's Kiss.' That's what Sasuke called it. That's what all the stories called it. Itachi wasn't sure that he really believed in that, but he was betting that Otoko did. Women were crazy about things of that nature.

"Aye!" He keeps running around the room. "You're gonna hurt yourself Sasuke or me!"

Faster and faster. Around and around, he went. Making the two Captains as dizzy as possible. Nothing could be left to chance in this matter.

"I'm just showing off what I learned!" The younger prince waves his wooden sword energetically as he continues chasing him.

Otoko looks just as perplexed as Kakashi did. Good.. That was a good thing. They had stuff in common already.

"You might want to stop, Sasuke." She rubs the back of her head sheepishly. "You're going to poke someone's eye out at this rate." That would be true, if his little brother wasn't faking his exuberance.

Honestly, Sasuke could be an actor. This was one Hell of a performance. He'd never be an actor though.

One day, Sasuke would be the Prince of England and Itachi would be king. It was really only a matter of time. Kaguya wouldn't sit on that throne for long. He just had to grow up big and strong, like Kakashi was always saying.

"I'm not gonna poke this mangy sea cow's eye out." Sasuke grins. "I just be showing him who is boss." With that being said, the other boy continues chasing Itachi.

It was rather impressive how fast his foolish little brother was really. In almost no time at all, they had managed to bump Kakashi and Otoko into each other's arms and their lips connected.

"True love's first kiss!" Sasuke grins. "Operation Mermaid was successful!" Indeed it was because neither adult was angry with them. Once the initial shock war off, it seemed that they were quite happy to continue kissing.

Itachi did imagine that they'd each get quite the vigorous scolding later. Most likely, he and Sasuke would have to swab the poop-deck. It was worth it though. Sasuke might be right. There might be something to all this 'True Love's Kiss' nonsense, after all.


	8. Chapter 8

Stormy Seas

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I know that this chapter too forever to get posted, but I got distracted by my other stories and real life schedule. I'm not planning on abandoning this story. If you have any requests or suggestions for something you'd like to see in this one, please do feel free to let me know. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 8

 _She really should stop doing this._ Otoko knew that. She wasn't an idiot. For goodness sake, she was the Captain of the Akatsuki and yet, for some reason it was proving extraordinarily difficult to stop kissing this man.

"Operation Mermaid was successful." Sasuke laughs.

Those words were enough to ground her back to reality. Kakashi might very well be a talented kisser, but that didn't change her circumstances. It didn't make her life any less dangerous or protect the princes.

She should be focusing on them. Not on the silver tongued devil who was disturbingly good with his tongue. She also probably shouldn't be kissing him in such a fashion in front of two young and very much impressionable boys.

That's why she pulls away from the kiss and slaps him. "You definitely forget yourself a lot." Otoko Uchiha would just have to be firm. There was no other way around it.

Kakashi blinks as he rubs his cheek in confusion. "Your mood changes faster than the tides." He might very well be right about that. "One moment you're kissing me as if all is fine with the world and the next, you're trying to break my jaw."

"You're exaggerating, you scurvy dog." The pirate woman had not hit him that hard. "That was barely more than a swat. What kind of pirate can't take that sort of hit?"

The princes were now staring at them in open confusion. This lot was most assuredly going to get her killed. The princes were too adorable and naïve and Kakashi was well, not.

"A strike on the cheek is extra harsh when it comes from a beautiful woman such as yourself." He chuckles as he nurses his rapidly swelling cheek.

Yes, he was far too charming for his own good. Otoko wouldn't fall for it though. No, she wasn't that foolish. She knew better.

She shakes her head as if to clear her thoughts.

If he wanted to charm the skirts off of someone, Kakashi would have to stick to the barmaids. "You'd do well to remember that then." She unsheathes her sword and points it at his neck. "If a woman's strike is harsher, imagine what her sword can do."

"I think that Kakashi would prefer to show you his sword than the other way around." Itachi laughs as Sasuke bursts into a fit of laughter at that.

Did the child realize what he had just said? "Kakashi, is Itachi aware that what he just said could have a dual meaning?" It was hard to tell at the youth's age.

It could have been entirely innocent, but it might not have been. This was going to be harder than Otoko thought to make princes out of those boys, if their minds had already been corrupted with the filth that most pirates had swimming around in their heads.

"Oh he's fully aware of it." Kakashi sighs as though he was about to walk the plank. "The boy is thirteen summers and has been on a pirate ship for about half his life. There's just no getting around the fact that he's likely heard more than he ought to have at this point."

That was a fair point. Goodness only knows what the boys would have heard on her own ship. Alright. Kakashi was a rogue, but he hadn't purposely exposed the princes to such things.

Itachi just smiles and nods. "It's important to speak the language of the common man." His little brother shoots him a confused look at that and the other Uchiha quickly amends his statement. "To better blend in with the locals in ports."

He remembered then. Sasuke was just a babe when it all happened, but with Itachi things were more gray. There could be little doubt that he was fully aware of his heritage now though.

"Yeah." Sasuke smiles. "It's very important not to stick out in ports too much, but Gai has a hard time blending in."

He was adorably innocent in some ways, but her cousin did have a rather accurate way of viewing the world when it came down to it. At the very least, he was obviously right about Gai. That was not a man who could keep a low profile.

"It's the dead caterpillars on his head." Itachi nods sagely and Otoko laughs softly at that.

Maybe, they would be alright. The two princes could be very amusing without trying to be. It shouldn't be hard to get the common people to support them. The Nobles were a different story though.

Otoko chuckles and nods. "Yes, it must be the dead caterpillars." What an interesting way to refer to that man's ridiculously fuzzy eyebrows, the pirate captain observes.

* * *

Kaguya sighs and shakes her head as she looks over the guest list. "Is this complete?" She turns her gaze towards Anko. "We can't afford to offend any of the nobility by accidentally forgetting to send their invitation."

That would be nothing short of a disaster. The queen knew this game very well, but even playing it to near perfection wasn't always enough. If the nobles wanted you gone badly enough, they could find a way to ensure it happened.

She should know that better than almost anyone, really. Kaguya was the reason why the former monarchs were dead. Well part of the reason, but there was no need to argue over matters of degree.

"We didn't overlook anyone." Anko smiles at her as she offers the woman a drink. "That list has been checked over at least ten times over. No one has been missed."

Kaguya happily takes the drink. It was something that she knew to only indulge in minimally while in public. A queen's reputation was everything. A king could get away with making himself overly merry in public. The public was far harsher on a woman though. Everyone knew that.

"Good." She smiles at that.

The first real smile that the queen had issued in awhile. "Are your nightmares finally leaving you, My Queen?" Because of that.

The nightmares were still plaguing her. The woman would like to say that she didn't know why, but that blood on her walls was the reason. Someone was trying to scare her and they were actually doing a damn fine job of it. Not that she would ever let them know that.

"I can manage them." There was no need to lie.

Well at least not to Anko. Kaguya rarely trusted anyone. Not even her husband, but this woman was in a completely different league than most. Whether someone was a queen or a beggar mattered little in at least one regard. Everyone needed a confidant

Anko looks less than convinced, but nods her head in agreement. "As you wish, My Queen." She laughs lightly and looks around before brushing her lips against Kaguya's ear. "You certainly seem to have no issue managing your husband."

That was true. Danzo was fine with being managed though. Well to a point. Kaguya doubted that he knew she was planning to kill him off once she was beyond her childbearing years, but perhaps he did and didn't care. He was already elderly enough that such things might not be an issue.

"Thank you." She smiles at her. "Now, let us hurry up with the final preparations. I can't believe that we have so little time to prepare for his birthday." A queen's work was never really done.

* * *

Later that evening, Kakashi decides it was best to address the elephant in the room. He had seen the way that Otoko looked at Itachi during his slip up. She knew. Which meant he had to do something.

"You look as though you're worried that I'm about to cut off your sword with a rusty dagger and make you walk the plank as you do it." The woman watches him with undisguised wariness.

She knew that he knew. In some ways, Kakashi supposed that would make this whole thing easier. Better to lay all their cards on the table now while they were still at sea than not.

"That's not entirely too far off." He sighs and crosses his arms. "It didn't escape my notice how you looked at Itachi earlier today. What do you know?" There was always a chance that he could have misread it, but the pirate doubted that very much.

He had long ago learned to trust his instincts. They were there for a reason and had served him well for many years. Kakashi's instincts had kept himself and the princes alive for the better part of a decade. So it seemed unlikely that they would fail him now.

Otoko braces herself and places her hand back on her sword. "Probably more than you do." Right. There was no going back now.

"You knew who they were and yet, you didn't turn them in." His own hand reaches for his own. "You were planning on turning them in or you wanted to protect them. I had thought that your eyes were just a somewhat unusual color, but that isn't the case."

The woman did look vaguely familiar to him now. It was as if he should have recognized her, but Kakashi hadn't. Had she lived at the palace at some point?

"They're my blood." She rolls her eyes at him. "You may not remember me, but I remember you." Her eyes were watching him like a hawk. Ready to fight or fly off most likely. "In passing. So don't allow your ego to swell too much. You're Kakashi. You're from nobility, but not close enough to the crown for anyone to bother trying to kill you."

That was disturbingly accurate. The woman remembered him in passing, but apparently it was enough.

He issues a mock bow to her. "Then it seems that you have me at a disadvantage because you remember me, but I don't remember you." At all. It was bizarre. Only the vaguest sensation that he had probably seen her face before.

"I like having you at a disadvantage." Otoko sighs as she lowers her blade. "For the sake of them though, I won't keep it. I'm an Uchiha, but we have much in common. I was far enough away from the throne to be recognized, but not a threat either."

That was likely at least part of the reason why she had been able to get away in the first place, Kakashi muses. Those nobles had been targeting the main family first. Anyone on the outer edges of the family tree had to be eliminated, but wasn't a top priority.

Kakashi's look turns sorrowful. "You survived it then." Yes, she had. "The massacre. It was nothing short of a miracle that the boys made it. I didn't know that anyone else had."

How the woman had gone from being a noblewoman to a pirate was a bit of a mystery. It had served her well though. If her true identity ever somehow got back to the queen or a noble who was complicit in the slaughter, Otoko would be very lucky to live another sunrise.

"I doubt anyone did." She shakes her head. Her eyes reflecting horrors in her past that Kakashi had never personally seen, but he could fill in the blanks well enough. "I made it out because of Madara. My grandfather."

That explained everything. Madara was a clever one. By the time of the butchering though, he was elderly. Maybe, he had slipped beyond the killings because his elderly form wasn't considered a threat. Maybe, they had let him run. Thinking that he'd die of exhaustion while he was trying to escape.

He was a brave man. "Madara snuck you out of the castle?" That was the only logical explanation. "I'm sorry for your loss." He must have passed on awhile ago. While Otoko could survive being a pirate, Kakashi doubted that someone of that man's age could have. Not even someone like Madara Uchiha.

"He did, but he also distracted the guards and gave me time to escape." She smiles. "He gave me the means to look after myself. That's how I became a pirate. The queen would never suspect a noblewoman would go into such a peculiar occupation, but I've never dared to use my real name with anyone who wasn't a member of my crew before."

No. Kakashi doubted she would have. It was far too risky. Otoko was apparently many things, but she wasn't reckless. Well at least not that sort of reckless.

"That was a wise move on your part." What were the odds of running into likely the last female Uchiha? "Well as you've probably deduced, I've been trying to raise them. Keep them from being discovered."

Otoko nods at that. "Are you planning on helping them take back the throne?" That was the most important question that she could have asked.

It was one that Kakashi still wrestled with to this day. There were times when he truly thought it would be better for them to live a life of obscurity. At least that way, they might make it to a ripe old age.

"At the moment, yes." He shakes his head. "Itachi remembers who he is, but his brother doesn't." Kakashi couldn't risk a child as young as Sasuke knowing about that sort of thing. Children were notoriously bad at keeping secrets.

"I see." Otoko sucks in a deep breath. "Well I can see why you would keep that a secret from him. Safer that way, but he's going to find out someday." Oh yes and that was the day that the silver haired pirate was dreading. "Sasuke is going to feel betrayed."

"That's true." Kakashi pours himself a glass of rum. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it though. I would rather have him feel betrayed at twenty than dead."

How many nights had he dreamed of the two princes being executed or murdered by Kaguya. Kaguya or her minions? Too many to count.

"We'll make sure that he makes it long enough to give you the Royal Scowl." Otoko smiles at him. "That and it's my job to make you walk the plank. No one else's."

"Wait." Kakashi blinks at that last part. "When was that decided?" He most assuredly did not remember agreeing to such a thing.

She smiles slyly at him. "Just now and by Royal Decree?" Well it was hard to argue with that logic, he supposed.

* * *

The king's birthday was coming. The time to strike was at hand. Madara had been watching the queen closely lately.

"She's stubborn, but it's getting to her." That much was obvious.

That was why he had gotten Aoda. The snake was an Adder. These snakes were famous for how seamlessly they could inject venom, but there was one major con of using them for assassination.

They weren't naturally aggressive. They'd only use their poison as a last line of defense. "Which is why when the day of his birthday arrives, you will be placed in his bed." It would startle the snake greatly and for that, Madara was sorry.

It wasn't Aoda's fault that the queen and her husband were a wicked sort. It wasn't his fault that they had to be punished. No, Aoda just happened to be a very convenient way of ending the king. Which in turn would end the queen.

The snake hisses in response, but it was a friendly hiss. Madara liked to believe that meant he understood.

"Excellent." He smiles and waves one of the king's socks in the serpent's face. "His scent." Madara wasn't entirely sure that you could train a no aggressive species in this manner, but he'd try anyway.

* * *

"So do you think it worked?" Sasuke looks at Itachi hopefully.

Itachi chuckles at his brother's expression and nods. Why wouldn't it work? They were both prodigies in their own way and they had planned Operation Mermaid perfectly.

Well other than Sasuke nearly giving him a heart attack with that stupid sword stunt. Still, the elder brother could hardly argue with the effectiveness of the tactic. It had ended up with Kakashi and the Akatsuki Captain sharing quite the passionate kiss.

"It definitely worked." Itachi smiles at him.

Truly, it was the little things in life that made their circumstance more than bearable. At times, it was enjoyable. Itachi was still outraged at what had happened to their family and that they had to stay hidden away, but it was fun to be a pirate and Sasuke didn't seem to be suffering for it.

His foolish little brother grins at him. "Good. You were right about the True Love's Kiss thing." Innocent, mischievous, and naïve Sasuke. Had Itachi ever really been that way? He couldn't remember.

What he did remember is the night of the Massacre. How Kakashi became their salvation and the life they had so far lived afterwards.

That and the fact those imposters sat on the throne. Not only had Kaguya and Danzo gotten away with their treason, but so had the rest of the nobles. One day, he and Sasuke would come back though as grown men and reclaim their thrones.

The peasant class would support them. Their family had been enormously popular in all circles, Perhaps, too popular in a way. The nobles clearly felt threatened and they had acted on it.

"Of course, I was right." He smiles and pokes Sasuke's forehead. "Foolish little brother, how many times do I have to tell you that you should just assume that I'm always right?" It would save him so much irritation in the end.

Sasuke grumbles and rubs his forehead. The pouting was frankly adorable. It was almost a shame that they couldn't go home now. That pout was sure to win over the public, but they couldn't.

Going back was the easiest way for them both to be killed or made into puppet rulers. That certainly wasn't a fate that he would ever allow to befall his brother. No, Itachi would fight against such a thing and he would fight hard.

"You forget yourself." The grumbling and royal pout were not over yet, ti seemed. "Just like Lady Uma says."

That woman was certainly leaving her mark on Sasuke. That much was obvious. Itachi couldn't help, but feel that he should recognize her though. It seemed like he had seen her before, but he couldn't place it. Oh well. It didn't matter.

Kakashi trusted her. She wasn't dangerous. Well at least not to them. Their guardian had gotten them this far. Itachi was quite positive that the pirate would get them back to their thrones. Eventually.

Itachi smiles at Sasuke. "I never forget myself." Just as he would never forget his foolish little brother and their dead parents.

He wasn't a violent person by nature, but Itachi also wasn't an idiot. The only way they were going to reclaim their birthright was through blood being spilled. It was merely a question of how much and whose blood it would be.

"Sure, you don't." Sasuke scoffs. "So what do you think they're talking about now?"

Oh boy. Sasuke was still far too young to know about such things. It was one thing for Itachi to make jokes about swords and for the younger prince to know about kissing, everything else though was a bit much.

He merely shrugs. "Nothing that would interest you." Not for awhile anyway and Itachi planned to keep it that way for as long as possible.

As much as he wanted to go home, he didn't want his brother to lose what made Sasuke well Sasuke. His innocence. That would be the first thing to go when they challenged that old crone for their respective thrones.

One day. Fortunately for them, today was not that day. Itachi could see it coming though. Like a wave on the horizon. It was up to him, Kakashi, and Gai to ensure that none of them would get swept away by it.

Sadly, that was easier said than done…


	9. Chapter 9

Stormy Seas

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I'm sorry that this one took so long to get around to. I just got caught up in my other stories. As always feel free to check out my profile for information about updates and other things. Anyway, I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 9

Today was the king's birthday. It had taken Madara awhile, but he had finally managed it. He had trained Aoda as much as Adders could be trained to do anything.

"You are doing the Lord's work." He smiles at the snake as he places it in the king's chambers.

It was just after midnight. The old fool would be off seeing to the final preparations of his birthday celebration.

Which meant that for once, his room wasn't guarded. "Terribly convenient really." He pats the serpent on the head and smiles. "I'm afraid that this is where we part ways, my friend. I truly hope that this causes you no unnecessary additional hardship."

The plan was brilliant in its simplicity. When Danzo came back from his chambers, he would startle Aoda. Who in turn would bite him and slither off. He'd be dead long before anyone could hear his cries for help.

"How fitting that everyone will be there." To celebrate the day of Danzo's birth, but in the end they would all be grieving. Just as he still grieved for his family.

Madara looks around the king's chambers one final time and sighs. Well at the very least, he could seal the bastard's demise. Though Kaguya was the real prize.

She was the one who deserved to be punished most. Madara highly doubted that the fossil would have had the courage to go through with usurping the kingdom from the Uchihas, had it not been for that vile wench.

"Stay safe." Madara nods at Aoda as he takes his leave.

At the very least, he was sending Aoda to take care of Danzo. He didn't want to torture the poor snake. Having him bite Kaguya would just be the height of cruelty.

She would likely taste awful and Madara wouldn't be surprised if she didn't bleed blood. Poison and venom likely ran in her veins instead. He was almost certain of it.

Madara shakes his head at the thought. "Well this is no time to dwell on such things." Or else, he might very well get caught.

With that thought in mind, he slinks off like a thief into the night. The old man was willing to die, if it meant Kaguya's end. That didn't mean that he was in a hurry to meet his end though.

* * *

Otoko smiles as she watches the boys practice their sword fighting. Of course, Sasuke was still using a wooden sword. The potential was there though and he was doing admirably considering his older brother was far more experienced.

"It's sweet that Itachi indulges him in such a way." The pirate captain didn't think any elaboration was necessary. "Don't you think?" Kakashi would know what she meant.

The silver haired man nods. "Aye." His eyes were dancing with amusement as Itachi deftly dodges Sasuke's next attack. "Tis positively endearing, but you and I know that won't be enough."

Yes, that was true. These two had a long, hard road ahead of them and that was assuming that either of them made it to adulthood.

"That's the Power of Youth!" Gai flashes both boys a smile.

The man was always encouraging people. Really, Otoko didn't know what to make of the 'Green Beast's' endless optimism half the time. Though she supposed that it was a necessity in this world. Someone had to balance out all the darkness with light. Gai just happened to overdo it sometimes.

Sasuke nods as he continues charging at Itachi. "Aye, Aye, Captain!" He pauses and corrects himself. "I mean, First Mate Gai!"

"You'll have to do better than that." Itachi chuckles as he side steps the next attack and knocks Sasuke's sword on his hand. "You're skilled for your age, Sasuke. You do need to keep in mind that you're likely going to be facing opponents with far more experience and strength than you."

The youngest prince was now sulking, but it was a requirement. If Itachi went too easy on his brother, they all knew that Sasuke would never improve. If he went too hard on him, well the younger boy would get hurt and Otoko couldn't bare the thought of that.

They were her family. She'd protect them as best as she could and looking at Kakashi, she knew that he felt the same way.

"I can't believe that I'm saying this, but you're a good man." The woman shakes her head. "A deviant, but a good man."

Kakashi rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "Well now, I must say that I'm rather worried." He chuckles. "You rarely compliment me. So I can only assume that means you're worried."

She'd be lying, if she denied that. Otoko did try to avoid lying when possible. It was hard to keep track of too many lies, if nothing else. So she merely nods.

"You're definitely learning about our Captain quickly." Konan smiles as she walks over towards them with Pain at her side. "I suspect that's why you were sailing your own ship though."

Why was Konan buttering Kakashi up, Otoko wonders to herself with a frown. That wasn't like her.

"Well that's because Kakashi has always had a way with women." Gai laughs as he claps the nobleman on the back. "He learned everything there is to know from me, of course."

Pain shakes his head. "Charming." His eyes flicker towards the mast where Deidara was sitting on top. "Deidara, do you see any land?"

That was enough to stop both Uchiha Brothers in their tracks. After all, even the hardiest of pirates started to crave the feeling of ground under their feet sooner or later and the boys were no exception in this regard.

"Land!" Deidara grins at all of them. "Aye! I see land." The man surprisingly enough could rival Kisame when it came to feral smiles. Probably because of his long tongue, Otoko decides. "We should be there by nightfall if we continue on at this current pace."

"That's good." Hidan nods. "I've got a question though." He gestures towards Kakashi, Gai, Otoko, and Konan. "If all the Captains and First Mates are here, who the bloody fuck is sailing us?"

Sasuke's eyes widen at that. "You said a bad word." Oh boy. "Now, Lady Uma is going to make you walk the plank again and then you'll get eaten by sharks."

That was tempting sometimes. Disturbingly tempting, actually. Okoto had considered doing that very thing more than once, but in the end Hidan was simply too skilled with a sword to permanently get rid of.

"What are you talking about, you damn brat?" Hidan twitches. "She wouldn't throw me overboard just for that." Well no. "Besides, Kisame isn't going to eat me."

"Will you all stop being so damn irritating?" Kakuzu shakes his head and groans.

Otoko had been about to ask the same question. Still, Hidan had raised a valid concern. It was only natural to wonder about such things.

She smiles at the thought of Hidan actually being logical about something. This was a rare day indeed. "Sasori is charting our course." Luckily, he was one of the more professional members of the Akatsuki

"That's good news." Zetsu smiles. "It means we're probably not going to die before we reach land."

That might not have been the smartest thing to say because Kisame walks over and smacks him upside the head. "You're a blooming idiot." He glares at him. "Don't go around jinxing us by saying things like that."

Otoko shakes her head in amusement as the princes go back to training. One really had to admire their work ethic. They'd both be fine rulers one day. She was sure of it.

"Your crew makes mine look almost sane by comparison." Kakashi glances at her with mirth dancing in his eyes.

The pirate woman shakes her head and sighs. "Well the entire lot is insane." She'd never say otherwise. "But they're the best of the best and that is why they're in the Akatsuki."

Otoko knew the truth though. She was extremely lucky. Without the Akatsuki, she'd probably be dead by now.

Most people didn't get a Kakashi handed to them, but she'd always be grateful to the pervert. He had done the impossible and kept the princes alive for years. Now it was up to her to make sure they stayed that way.

* * *

The next day, Kaguya heads into her husband's chambers. "The idiot should have already been up by now." How could the mean choose today of all days to be lazy? It was his birthday.

Certain expectations had to be met. That meant he needed to get his bloody arse downstairs and join the others for breakfast. There was a grand feast laid out for breakfast and there would be an even grander ones laid out for lunch and dinner. Not to mention all the music, wine, dancing, gifts, and games.

"It's insane." She sighs, wondering why they were putting all that effort into celebrating Danzo's birthday. "The man already has one foot in the grave and they're making this big of a fuss over him?"

It seemed like a waste of energy to her. "Danzo, wake up." She knocks on the door more vigorously.

"Your Majesty, I do not believe the king wishes to be disturbed." One of the guards walks towards her. "We tried to rouse him, but heard nothing."

They what? Could that possibly mean, what she thought it meant. No. It wasn't time yet.

"I shall see about that." She picks the lock in front of the guard.

Kaguya didn't care that a guard would know about her skill in that area. She could always have him killed later. For now, she had far more important things on her mind.

She had to find out, if her husband was actually dead or not. "Danzo!" So she races inside his chambers and screams at what she saw.

"Oh God!" He was dead.

Her husband was laying on the bed in a position she could only describe as agonizing. "What could have done this?" She didn't see any obvious wounds, but Kaguya moves closer just to be sure.

There it was. On his neck. Her husband had bitten by a serpent of some kind. The beast must have been in his bed and struck then.

"GUARDS! GUARDS!" Which meant there was only one way that Kaguya could save herself.

She'd have to play the part of a grieving widow and play it to perfection. Lest someone accuse her of putting the snake in her husband's bed. If that were to happen, she would be ruined.

* * *

Kakashi smiles as the crew checks into a local Inn of a small port town off the coast of England. "They innkeeper is likely going to be very happy tonight." They were giving the man quite a bit of business.

Between his crew and the Akatsuki, well the Inn was booked to capacity. Besides, Kakashi had always made it a policy to tip generously. He was a pirate, but he wasn't a cheapskate.

"I imagine so." Otoko nods as they get their keys from the Innkeeper. "Thank you."

The man's name was Ibiki, if Kakashi recalled correctly. "You're welcome, My Lady." He was a rather intimidating looking fellow, but he smiles so nicely at them. "I must say you and your husband do make a handsome couple."

 _Thud!_ _ **Thud!**_ They both landed on their backsides in shock at that. He actually thought they were married?

Not that Otoko wasn't beautiful and he did enjoy kissing her, but the woman was just as likely to smack him as to kiss him. Kakashi wasn't sure that one could survive being married to such an unpredictable woman.

Ibiki blinks in confusion. "Did I say something wrong?" Oh right. The poor man didn't know the truth about Otoko.

She was a beauty, but in the way that a tiger shark was. This bloke didn't' know that though. He thought she was just an ordinary woman.

"Oh nothing." Kakashi rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "I think that our muddy boots were just a bit slippery is all."

It wasn't a complete lie. Their boots were likely muddy and slippery, but that wasn't why they had fallen.

Otoko shoots him a knowing look as she got up. "We're fine though." She smiles sweetly at the innkeeper. "Did you say that you had already given our friends their keys?"

Her acting skills were rather impressive. Kakashi had rarely seen anything like them in all honesty.

"Oh yes." He nods at her. "I've already given them their keys." Ibiki smiles at that fact. Likely because it meant more money in his pocket. "So you and your friends should be all set."

"Thank you." Otoko nods as she turns to head off to Kakashi. "It's been a long day, so we'll just be going to our room now."

Ibiki nods in understanding as the pair walk off together and Kakashi chuckles as he wraps his arm around her waist. "I didn't expect you to agree to marrying me that easily, but it's just easier for him to go on believing that we're man and wife." He purposely keeps his voice low enough so only she could hear him.

It would be awkward to have to explain the truth. Not only that, it'd likely damage the other woman's reputation. Though Kakashi wasn't entirely sure that Otoko would care about such things. She was after all, a pirate.

* * *

Orochimaru sighs as he heads back towards the castle. He was less than pleased to say the least. His journey hadn't been at all satisfactory.

"Don't fret." Kabuto nods at him reassuringly. "I'm sure that the Queen will understand. It's not easy to find someone once they're on the High Seas."

That might be true, but this was Kaguya. The woman was many things, but understanding certainly wasn't one of them. Kabuto had to know that, but yet he pretended otherwise in the interest of making Orochimaru feel better.

He didn't know whether he should be touched or whether he should smack the other man. "We'll let's just hope that Her Majesty is in a good mood or else, we'll both be hung like dogs."

It was the king's birthday. Perhaps the festivities would do wonders for the woman's mood. One could only hope.

Well at least that's what Orochimaru thought until he saw the queen on the balcony, wearing all black. The color of mourning.

"What the Hell?" He blinks as he and Kabuto watch from the grounds along with the other people in the courtyard.

The courtyard was jam packed. It looked like most of the castle's inhabitants were down here. Servants and royals alike. That could only mean one thing.

Kaguya was now openly sobbing. "I'm afraid that I have ghastly news for all concerned." The woman was such a snake, that Orochimaru had to almost admire her cunning. "Our king is dead. It seems an Adder got into his bed and he died sometime last night."

She wasn't done yet though. "God rest his soul." The queen clasps her hands together and begins to lead a prayer of sorts.,

"Well she's certainly laying it on thick." Kabuto shakes his head in disbelief.

It was an open secret to those who were in the know that Kaguya and Danzo were far from a love match. That hadn't mattered to the nobles though. They were quite content with the arrangement just as long as they got their money and lands and no one found out the truth about the Uchihas.

Orochimaru nods in agreement. "That she is." Had the queen killed the king while they were away?

It seemed a bit hasty, but then again…who was to say? Danzo might have displeased her in some fashion or another. Kaguya certainly did strike him as something of a black widow and a snake all at once.

* * *

Madara smirks as he watches the commotion. His plan had worked. The king was dead.

"The queen will follow suit quickly enough." She'd make a mistake now.

He was sure of it. Kaguya might very well be framed as the real assassin. Which he had every intention of doing. He just had to be careful and to play his cards right.

If he failed, well it wouldn't be a great loss. Madara knew that he was racing against the clock as is. His time was almost at an end, but at least he could take her down with him.

He smiles as he watches Aoda slither off a few feet away. "Thank goodness for small miracles." He would have felt terribly guilty, if he had killed the wrong snake.

Still, he had work to do. Everyone was panicking and that meant he had to hurry. To the queen's quarters.

"Now is the perfect time to finish her." He smirks as he runs back into the castle.

Most people's eyes were on the queen, but his were on the prize. As they always were. Well that and the hallway that he was currently racing through as much as someone his age could race.

"Still can't believe it." A guard walks through the hall with another.

Madara barely had time to jump into the nearest room before being seen. "Me neither." Though it was no mystery what either of them were talking about. "The king is dead? I know that he was elderly, but he always seemed to be well practically immortal."

That was a fair point in most cases. Danzo would probably still be alive if it wasn't for the serpent's bite, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that he was dead and Kaguya would soon join him.

"Yes, well we'd best get out there." The first smiles at him. "After all, it's not going to be easy to corral everyone."

The second nods in agreement and heads of with him. Well what do you know, Madara thinks to himself. That made three.

Three miracles had happened in one day, he muses as he opens the queen's door a few moments later. The snake had lived. He hadn't been caught and he hadn't died of a heart attack during the entire thing. Yes, Fate certainly did working in threes.

"Here we go." He places a book on the queen's bed.

A book about the snakes in England. For good measure, he book marks the page about Adders. If that didn't frame her, Madara had no idea what would.


	10. Chapter 10

Stormy Seas

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 10

Fate was a strange thing really, Kaguya muses. It could change almost faster than the tides in some ways. How else could one explain how she had fallen from grace so quickly?

"It's a cruel irony indeed." The queen sighs to herself as she curls up into a little ball against the wall. "The one time that I did nothing wrong, I was caught." She laughs to herself at that.

It was funny in a way. Maybe, that was just the coldness and hunger setting in though. She had been trapped in this tour for seven days. The queen was now awaiting her trial.

She glares at the barred window nearby. "If get out of this, whoever is responsible for framing me will pay." Because that is most assuredly what had happened. Someone had framed her.

 _She had told everyone of the king's death and about the Adder. Kaguya had thought that she knew how this would play out. That she would play the part of a grieving widow and that would be that._

 _Unfortunately, that wasn't what happened. As soon as she got back to her chambers, one of the maids and several guards gaped at her in horror._

 _"What is the meaning of this?" Kaguya glared at them. "What are you all doing in my chambers? I do not remember giving any of you permission to be here."_

 _In retrospect, that should have been her first clue that something was amiss. Otherwise, why would there be so many people in her room at once without her approval?_

 _"It pains me to say this, but you're under arrest." The guards quickly moved on her and placed her hands in cuffs. "Your Majesty, you're going to be tried for this. For the king's death."_

 _What? That was insanity. "How dare you accuse me of such a thing?!" She would see the man hanged for this. "I'll have you rot in the tour and then hanged for such disturbing and false accusations."_

 _At the time, she had meant it with every bone in her body. Kaguya was not a woman who took being such attacks lightly. This guard would pay._

 _"I'm s-sorry, Your Majesty." The maid held out a book with a page opened about Adders. "I'm afraid that the facts seem to be against you."_

 _The facts were against her? No. They were not. She was being framed. Someone had set her up and someone would pay dearly for this._

 _She glared and spat at all of them. "I shall prove my innocence and when I do, forget about hanging." Kaguya would do far worse than that. "I'll have you all drawn and quartered!"_

So that's how it happened. That's how she went from being a powerful queen to being a prisoner accused of assassinating the king.

"It's amazing, truly." She rolls her eyes at the thought. "Even when he's dead, the man still finds a way to irritate me."

Still, she would have a trial. The odds of Kaguya clearing her name were slim, but she had to try. It was that or just die.

The latter option was unappealing to say the least. Kaguya very much wanted to keep her head attached for as long as possible because make no mistake about it, that is how they would kill her.

"They'll behead me." She winces at the thought.

It was an utterly barbaric practice, but that is definitely what would become of her. Not that it would matter. She'd be dead with or without her head, but it just seemed such a grisly way to die.

They'd all want to make a show out of it though. She knew that without a doubt. Most likely, they'd hold it somewhere that even the peasants could watch her demise.

What a ghastly state of affairs. "I won't let that happen." Not without a fight anyway. Kaguya refused to be defeated so easily.

* * *

"You want to go, don't you?" Sasuke looks at Itachi. "To the queen's trial, I mean."

His brother had been in the marketplace earlier that day. They still hadn't sailed yet. Probably because everyone was enjoying being on land so much and Kakashi was playing Kissy Face with Lady Uma whenever those two weren't fighting.

Itachi sighs and pokes his forehead. "It's certainly tempting." Sasuke really hated when his brother did that! "Though I highly doubt Kakashi would allow it."

Still even now, Sasuke knew that something was going on. Something very strange and he was beginning to piece it together ever so slowly.

"Someone showed me a picture of the queen the other day." Sasuke smiles at Itachi.

He didn't want his brother to know that he was up to something. That was the surest way to ensure that Sasuke didn't find out anything. So he'd have to start off slowly.

"Ah. Kaguya." Itachi nods at him. "Well don't fret on her for long, the woman will likely be dead before the next Moon."

Sasuke knew that. Most people weren't found innocent at their trials. It was all a shame as Kakashi said. Despite that, the young boy knew that there was also something else going on that also qualified as a shame and he wanted answers.

"Do you have any idea where the others are?" Sasuke smiles at Itachi.

He wanted to make sure that the grownups wouldn't go about and muck things up for them. So Sasuke would make absolutely certain they were gone before asking.

Itachi chuckles and nods. "Most likely, they're in their rooms or out shopping." Ah. Good. That was good enough. "Probably playing cards or something of that nature."

"Alright." Sasuke nods. "It wasn't a picture of Kaguya that I saw though." That mere phrase made his brother turn as white as any ghost.

That was really all the confirmation he needed. Sasuke had been right, after all. He still wanted Itachi to admit it though.

"Who did you see?" He tilts his head.

His brother was a good actor, but he wasn't that good. "The previous queen." Sasuke gives him a pointed look. "She looks just like me."

Would the other boy confess or would Sasuke have to force his hand? He wasn't sure why he was doing this the hard way. Maybe, it was just the principle of the thing.

"Ah yes." Itachi nods at him and pokes his forehead with a smile. "Queen Mikoto. She was a beautiful woman and you're a beautiful boy. So it's not entirely surprising that you think you look like her."

Sasuke didn't think anything. He knew and Itachi was going to admit it. If he didn't, well Sasuke would make him walk the plank later. (Into a shallow harbor, but still).

"Probably because she was our mother." Sasuke gives Itachi a dirty look. "That's why you won't ever tell me anything about mother and father. You wanted us to stay in hiding because you were scared of the evil queen."

* * *

She really shouldn't be doing this. Kissing him again was a foolish thing to do, but it just kept happening.

"Should we go and check on the boys?" Okoto breaks the kiss.

It seemed like the safest out. They both cared about Itachi and Sasuke. More than enough to ignore their lust for the time being, anyway.

Kakashi shakes his head and smiles. "I suppose that we probably should." Yes, they most assuredly should. "Though I must say for a pirate captain, you're remarkably flustered about kissing."

Her flustered about kissing? She was not. It was more that Otoko knew she should focus on more important things.

"If that's your way of accusing me of being a blushing maid, you're wrong." She didn't blush. She was the Captain of the Akatsuki for goodness sake.

"It wasn't an insult." Kakashi smiles at her serenely. "Frankly, I find it adorable. You're right though." He sighs as he gestures for her to follow him to the door. "We really should check on the boys." That was true. The sooner they did that, the better.

"I'm not adorable." She scoffs and heads off with him. "But you're right that we should check on the boys."

The two boys who were really princes. One of whom didn't even know he was a royal to begin with. This was going to cause a headache later on. Otoko just knew it.

He nods in agreement. A short walk down the hall was all it took to turn everything upside down though. She could hear yelling coming from the other side of the door.

"Well it looks like we'll have our hands full." Kakash sighs as he opens the door. "Tell us, what is all this fuss about?"

Yes, that's what she wanted to know as well. Though one look at the princes' faces told her everything she needed to know. Sasuke knew and he didn't seem to have any issue confirming it.

Sasuke glares at all of them. "I found out who my mother and father were today." He glances back at Itachi. "I know that you've all been keeping it a secret."

This wouldn't end well. How could any of them possibly hope to explain something so complicated to such a young boy?

* * *

Konan smiles at Pain. "I imagine they'll be married before the year is out." She laughs as she shuffles the deck. "They fight like cats and dogs and that's always a sign of passion."

Pain was the love of the bluenette's life. She didn't know what she would do without him. Probably strangle some of the bloody idiots on the Akatsuki, she supposed. There were certainly times that the lot seemed to be asking for it.

"Aye." Pain nods simply.

Kisame had far more to say on the subject though. "I wonder if the brats will have silver hair like their father." Ah. That was a fair point actually.

That had to be terribly confusing for the man when he was a little lad. To have a head full of silver hair when he was still a youth and not an old man. Kakashi must have gotten teased about it without mercy.

"Doesn't really matter." Hidan laughs. "I imagine the crazy sea witch will cut his sword off in a bloody fit long before they ever get hitched."

The man really did have such a foul mouth. Konan sighs and shakes her head at that thought, even by pirate standards Hidan did have a rather colorful vocabulary. Which was impressive given how loose pirate standards were to begin with.

"That was rude, Hidan." Deidara nods his head energetically at the other man. "Aye?!"

Sasori shakes his head and rolls his eyes. "Since when do you care about manners?" Well the red head's question was certainly a valid one, Konan muses to herself.

There was never a dull moment with this crew. For better or worse, the other members of the Akatsuki certainly kept things interesting.

"Oi!" Deidara flails in 'righteous' indignation. "I've got far better manners than all of you. By the way were are Kakuzu and Zetsu?"

Konan shakes her head in amusement. "They're off gambling together, I suspect." What else would Kakuzu be doing? That and the man did love dragging others along on his crazy adventures.

She was fortunate to have such a practical lover. Pain never engaged in that nonsense.

"I wonder why he never invites me to go with him?" Pain sighs as though he was thoroughly put out by the thought.

Konan blinks and twitches. Alright. Maybe, her lover wasn't entirely practical and would engage in that nonsense, after all. Still, no one was perfect.

* * *

Kakashi felt as though ice water had been poured onto him. So that was it then, Sasuke knew. There was no going back now.

"Sasuke, we kept it a secret for your own safety." He embraces the boy. "Itachi and I didn't want you to get hurt and neither did anyone on the crew. I know that might be hard for you to understand now, but I swear to you that every word I speak to you is the truth."

The accusing look didn't entirely go away, but it softened. Still, Kakashi couldn't help but feel guilty. He had lied to Sasuke, even if the silver haired man hadn't wanted to do so. He still had and that was something that the pirate couldn't take back.

"I know why you did it." Sasuke sighs and shakes his head. "It's just not right." He looks at Itachi. "Itachi should be sitting on the throne. Not some old crone."

Otoko actually laughs at that and well, Kakashi was tempted to do the same. He had never heard the young boy talk in such a way before. Then again, finding out the truth could be a most liberating feeling.

Itachi sighs and smiles ruefully at Sasuke. "If we went back, we'd likely be dead before we ever made the claim." That was accurate. The guards wouldn't allow the boys anywhere near the castle, especially if they claimed to bet he lost princes.

They'd likely be though of children playing some sort of prank at best and at worst, well Kakashi didn't really want to ponder that too deeply. He would though. At worst, they'd be put to death for the crime of 'impersonating' royals.

"So we're just supposed to give up?" Sasuke tilts his head at his brother. "Let them fight like mad dogs over the crown? It's yours not theirs."

Children did have a wonderful way of stating the obvious, Kakashi observes. Unfortunately, that was all easier said than done.

For it to be possible, they'd have to get Itachi and Sasuke near the castle and prove their claim. Even assuming that the nobles believed them, a better man would assume they'd be slaughtered before the two brothers could rile up the commoners.

"No." Kakashi shakes his head and smiles at Sasuke. "We simply wait until Itachi is old enough to rule in his own right and then we will take back the crown." Hopefully.

He was still a little fuzzy on the details. Kakash didn't know how exactly they would get the true rulers back on the throne. Just that they would.

* * *

Madara chuckles at that. He could hear them in the hallway. He might be old, but his hearing had always been exceptional.

It seemed that his granddaughter had survived afterwards. True, she was older now. Still, he'd recognize her anywhere.

"It's a good thing that I fled during the chaos." He smiles and coughs.

The wisest course of action was obviously to feign being a helpless old man. At least long enough to get their attention. Madara had never been particularly gifted at pretending to be helpless.

"I'm terribly sorry to intrude, but I couldn't help overhearing." He smiles in a friendly way as he hobbles over. "You see my name is Madara Uchiha and I believe that I know a way to help make everything right."

Four stunned faces stared back at him. Well, he probably should have expected that. The fact that someone had heard them alone would have been enough to startle all of them, but his last name was certainly working wonders.

"G-Grandfather?" Otoko stares in shock.

He smiles at her and nods. "Yes, it's been quite awhile." He embraces her lightly. "It brings my heart such joy to see you Otoko. Though I believe we have a kingdom to save." He sighs and shakes his head. "The queen will almost certainly be found guilty, but it's what comes afterwards that will prove far more tricky."


	11. Chapter 11

Stormy Seas

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 11

This was quite possibly the stupidest and most foolish thing that Otoko had ever done. She knew that stupidest and foolish were a bit redundant, but still the young Uchiha woman felt both were necessary to properly convey the severity of the situation.

"The boys are to stay in this ship with the other members of the Akatsuki and Chidori." She gives her crew a dark look. "Under no circumstances is any other alternative acceptable unless one of us says otherwise." She points to herself, Kakashi, and Madara. "Is that understood?"

They had been at an inn when Madara first found them, but now they were at a safe house her grandfather had been using for years. Just outside the castle grounds, but it was a straight shot to the nearest harbor.

Kakashi sighs as he embraces both boys. "You will be safe here. If we're not back in one day, you are to leave without us." This couldn't be easy for them and Otoko knew that, but it was necessary.

While she was willing to risk her life, Otoko was not willing to risk the lives of the princes. She knew that Madara and Kakashi felt the same way.

"Then we let you go with heavy hearts and our love." Itachi sighs as he returns his older 'brother's' embrace. "Whatever else comes of all this, you must know that."

There wasn't a dry eye in the room. All of the Akatsuki and Chidori crew members were bawling like newborn babies. At any other moment, it would have been quite funny. That wasn't the case now though.

Shockingly enough, Sasuke manages to keep his composure. "Without you, we'd already be dead." He smiles at Kakashi. "So try not to loose your head now. We still need you."

It was both disturbing and sweet all at the same time. Perhaps, England was rather lucky that Sasuke had been the second born. God help them all, if Sasuke had been the eldest.

"Yes, I'll try my best not to." Kakashi chuckles as he tries to blink away tears from his eyes.

Gai wasn't making any such attempt though as he threw himself at Kakashi and hugs him tightly. "I'll watch over them as if they were my own." Causing the Akatsuki Crew to gape at him. "Though I know that you're coming back to us, Kakashi. The Power of Youth has never let anyone down before."

Madara shakes his head. It was obvious that her grandfather thought they were wasting time and they were.

"Wonderful." He smiles. "We should be going though, if we want to see the trial on time."

Otoko and Kakashi both nod in agreement as they walk out of Madara's humble safe house with the old man in tow. There was nothing left to say really. Otoko had already said her goodbyes the night before and well, she didn't want to cry. Not again.

"Can you still ride a horse?" Kakashi looks at Madara in concern.

The elderly man twitches in something quite akin to rage. "Of course, I can still ride a horse." It was almost enough to make Otoko laughs. "The question is, can either of you keep up with me as I do so?"

Well if nothing else, her grandfather's spirit hadn't been crushed. She just hoped that his body wouldn't either. After all, there was a very good chance that they were all on their way to their deaths now.

"I think we can handle it." Otoko smiles as she mounts her mare. "Can't we, Kakashi?"

Kakashi nods as he follows her example. If nothing else, the man was always willing to get into a fight at a moment's notice. A quality that she rather liked. Well that and he was still a damn fine kisser.

It was almost a shame that she'd probably never live long enough to see what other talents, Kakashi possessed. Oh wait. Otoko really shouldn't allow herself to be distracted to this extent. They had important work to do.

"I believe so." He nods as the three of them set out. "We wouldn't be very good pirates, if we couldn't ride a horse."

Madara raises an eyebrow. "What on Earth do being a pirate and riding a horse well have to do with each other?" Alright. That was a fair point. Otoko had to give him that much.

There were certainly times when Kakashi's thought process didn't follow a logical pattern. This was just one of them. Maybe, it was just a case of nerves though.

"Well to be a good pirate, one has to master many skills." Kakashi smiles at the other man.

That damn smile. It was as if Kakashi didn't have a care in the world at the moment and Otoko knew that to be false. She had just seen him get teary eyed as they left the princes behind. He was a damn fine actor.

"That's true." She looks at Madara. "Please tell me that you have a plan?"

Her grandfather just smiles at her. "I've been waiting the better part of a decade for this." Good. He had a plan then. "I've imagined this day so many times before, that I've lost count. So naturally, I believe the best course of action is to let events unfold as they will and play it by ear."

This time, it was Otoko's time to twitch. She couldn't believe that her grandfather was this moronic.

"You bloody idiot." She sighs and shakes her head as their horses continue guiding them forward. "That's the stupidest idea that I've ever heard of."

Kakashi sighs as he looks towards the castle. "It might not be." He smiles at her. "Think about it. If we don't know what we're going to do, how could the palace guards possibly know?"

Damn it. That was another good point. This man was utterly infuriating.

* * *

Kaguya sighs as she stares out the window. "More people are coming." She shakes her head at the thought.

Probably as many people as they could fit into the area. Everyone would want to see her trial that could. She could easily imagine even the peasants trying to hover on the outskirts of it.

"I have to find a way to avoid this." She sighs.

That's when she hears a knock on her door. "Your Majesty, you have a visitor." A guard opens the door and in walks Orochimaru.

Hmm. Perhaps, he would have some miracle that would spare her from being executed. She doubted it, but Kaguya could still dream. Couldn't she?

"Good." She glares at the guard. "Leave us." The queen looks down at her chains. "It's not as if I could get far, even if I wanted to."

The guard nods and leaves them to their own devices. Well that was one thing at least. The guards hadn't turned against her. Yet. That wouldn't last though. Not after the trial.

"I'm so sorry that it has come to this." Orochimaru sighs as he strides over to her. "For what it's worth, I know that you're innocent."

That was worth absolutely nothing. Not unless he knew a way to clear her name. Which would be nearly impossible to do.

A second man follows him inside. "We can say that you were framed." Kabuto pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "That's precisely what happened anyway."

How the man had slunk to the shadows like that without being noticed was beyond her. Whatever the case, Kaguya sighs. If that was the only defense she had, the woman was doomed.

"Be kind and end this." She looks at them. "I'd rather not be made a mockery of during my final moments."

Like Hell was she going to allow some peasants to watch her fall from Grace. Well not that she had ever really been pure to begin with, but still it was the principle of the thing. She was a Queen and they were little more than annoying insects.

"I'm afraid that we can not do that for you." Orochimaru sighs. "Let your mind be light though. We'll find a way to clear your name."

Her mind couldn't possibly be light! Kaguya was about to die.

"The both of you are bloody idiots!" Why was she always surrounded by idiots?

* * *

Later that night, Sasuke waits until everyone was asleep to sneak off. Well at least, that had been his plan. Things didn't really work out that way.

"I knew that you'd try to do something foolish." His older brother sighs as he follows Sasuke outside Madara's home.

Damn it. Itachi would never let him go. His big brother would be too worried that it was too dangerous.

Maybe, he could reason with him though. "You know that it's not right." Sasuke would have to unleash what he was now mentally dubbing as the Royal Pout on the other boy. "You're the true king and she's a false queen."

Itachi sighs as he hugs Sasuke tightly. "Sasuke, I would rather have the two of us be alive peasants than dead royals." Sasuke grumbles at that as he hugs back.

There had to be some way to make Itachi understand. They couldn't just sit back and wait. They were the real King and High prince of England!

"I know, but what do you think will happen after Kaguya is dead?" Sasuke continues pouting. "Danzo is dead. They didn't have an heir. They didn't name anyone to take their place either."

Itachi's eyes widen in horror at that. It was clear that his brother was finally coming to terms with what their safety could cost everyone.

"It'll be a war." His older brother whispers the word.

Sasuke nods at that. He knew it was true and Itachi knew it. That meant that there was only one thing they could do. They had to put a stop to it.

The young boy picks up a dagger that he had snatched from Konan. "They'll never believe Madara, Kakashi, and Lady Uma without proof." If they weren't willing to even come with them, then why would anyone believe that they were the rightful rulers of England?

"You're right." Itachi shakes his head as he readies some horses. "Kakashi tan our hides for this. You know that, right?"

Sasuke nods in understanding. "I know that, but if we don't do this…lots of people are going to die and another wicked king or queen will probably take our place. This time, it might be someone old enough to have kids."

Itachi shoots Sasuke a rather perplexed look as the two of them gather some supplies. They might be children, but they weren't stupid. This was going to be a fairly long ride to the castle. Food, water, and medicine might very well be necessary. So was the sword that Itachi was taking with him.

"That's true." The rightful king sighs as he grabs some more daggers. "Place these in your pockets and on the side of your boots." Itachi gives him a dark look. "I want you to hide as I make myself known, but if you're found you should have means to defend yourself."

Sasuke nods in understanding. "Yes, Itachi." He wouldn't hide, but he'd let Itachi think that he would. "We should also take some poisons and an explosive or two. Sasori and Deidara do have some useful stuff."

Itachi nods as he grabs those items and they suit up. The better prepared they were, the better. This wasn't just practicing anymore. This was the real thing.

"Sasuke, when did you get so wise?" Itachi pokes his forehead. "What happened to my foolish little brother?" He looks at him before the two of them get on their horses

"He read your journal." Sasuke smiles sweetly at him as they ride towards the castle.

* * *

They road for awhile and they road, but they had finally made it. Kakashi had cleverly gotten them robes to disguise themselves as members of the clergy.

"How did you get these anyway?" Otoko raises an eyebrow at him, once they had safely changed in a forgotten section of the palace gardens.

Kakashi just smiles at her. "Oh apparently, it was laundry day." Which was quite the blessing in disguise for them. "So I simply offered to help the maids with the laundry and they were quite happy to accept such an offer."

Otoko actually twitches at that. It was hard not to chuckle in response. She did look so adorable when she was angry about something.

"That's where you disappeared to?" The woman was now stomping her feet. "To go and flirt with some maids? Some things truly, never change."

Madara actually does laugh though. Probably because he was old enough not to care about the consequences. Surely, he knew what his granddaughter's temper was like.

"Lass, now is not the time to yell at him." He smiles at her. "The ploy was successful and now, we have an excuse to go wherever we like. Who is going to argue with a priest?"

Kakashi nods at her. "Besides, we're lucky that the robes flow so loosely." He gestures towards her bosom. "Otherwise, we'd have a devil of a time trying to hide the fact that you're a woman and I don't think that there are any Nuns in attendance."

He shouldn't have taunted her like that. Kakashi knew that, but he couldn't resist. Naturally, Otoko responded in exactly the way he anticipated and tried to smack him.

"You're such a scurvy dog!" Which Kakashi dodges as she beings cussing him out rather colorfully. "Just when I start to think ye might be a decent man, ye have to go and ruin it by speaking of such lewd things."

Madara chuckles and shakes his head. "As amusing as this lovers' spat is, I'm afraid that we have more important things to focus on." He sighs and gestures further into the grounds. "They're setting up for the trial."

That was indeed true. They had to come up with some sort of plan and fast. They might not get another change.

The very fate of England hung in the balance. Kakashi couldn't allow himself to get distracted by a pair of breasts. No matter how lovely they undoubtedly were.

"You're right." Otoko sighs and shakes her head. "Well if we pretend we're going to testify about her character, we can probably get in the thick of it."

Beauty and brains was such a deadly combination though. Otoko was certainly prone to losing her temper, but she did have a lot of good idea.

Kakashi nods in agreement. "Very well then." He smiles at them. "That's exactly what we'll do."

* * *

Itachi Uchiha was feeling exhausted, but feeling rather satisfied. "We're here." They had rode for what seemed like ages, but they had finally arrived at the castle.

That was one step down. They were also heavily armed, but not enough to defeat all the palace guards. Which meant they had to plan their next move carefully.

"Aye." Sasuke nods. "This will be even more dangerous than Operation Mermaid."

That was true. Lady Uma and Kakashi might have gotten angry with them, if that backfired. They never would have killed them though. The same couldn't be said of the palace guards.

They needed an excuse to get up in the thick of it. Right where the action was, but Sasuke was a small child and not everyone would consider Itachi a man. He was only thirteen summers.

"We'll claim that we overheard the queen plotting against the king." Itachi smiles at Sasuke. "We'll use your youth to our advantage. No one would ever suspect a child of lying about such a thing."

Sasuke just grins at him in response. "That sounds like a fine idea." Indeed. Itachi found that he was rather pleased with his own cleverness, really.

Now, they just had to stay alive long enough to make it all happen. Which shouldn't be terribly difficult. The trial was set to begin in only a few hours.

"For now, we'll pass ourselves off as servants." No one would think twice of seeing a pair of kitchen boys or the like running around. "Blend in and don't draw attention to yourself." Itachi frowns at the last part. "Which means, don't let anyone get a very good look at you, if you can help it."

This was quite possibly the stupidest thing that either of them would ever do in their lives. It had to be done though. The fate of an entire nation was at stake and Itachi wouldn't let England fall into the wrong hands again.

"Understood." Sasuke smiles at him. "I'm glad that you finally saw my side of things."

Itachi sighs and pokes his brother's forehead once more as he dismounts from the horse. "Well it is very difficult to resist the Royal Pout." Itachi chuckles.

* * *

"Morning, Sasuke." Konan smiles as she wanders into the boys' room back in Madara's hideaway, a short while later. "Morning, Itachi. It's time to rise and shine."

That's when she realizes something. Much to her horror, it didn't take the bluenette very long to realize what exactly was amiss. The boys were gone.

"PAIN, SASORI, KISAME, EVERYONE!" This couldn't be happening. "The children aren't here." She runs out of the room and begins rousing everyone as quickly as she could. "They must have gone after Kakashi, Otoko, and Madara."

That had to be it. There was nowhere else that the boys would have thought to go. Which could only mean one thing. Itachi and Sasuke were either on their way to the castle or already there.

"Will you stop trying to make us go deaf?!" Hidan glares at her. "You damn wench!"

That's when Pain punches Hidan and the other man goes flying. "You blooming fool!" His eyes were like ice at the moment. "Don't you dare speak to my woman in such a fashion ever again and did you not hear what she just said?"

For once, even Deidara looks worried. That wasn't a good sign. The blonde was never serious about well anything.

"We need to go and rescue them." He nods seriously. "Or else Kakashi and Otoko will kill us. Aye?!"

He was damn right about that. The sooner they left, the better. Kids these days, why did they always have to be in a hurry to put themselves in harm's way.

"Well we shouldn't just stand here then." Kisame nods as he races towards the door. "We need to get going. The kids already have a head start on us. Let's not make it worse than it has to be."

Oh they were doomed. If Kisame was being the reasonable one, they were doomed.

"Why me?" Konan whispers as the Akatsuki rouses the Chidori Crew Members. "How do I ever get myself into these situations?"

It was one thing to be a pirate. It was another thing entirely to be chasing after two wayward princes who were supposed to be dead. This was especially true, when they were heading towards a false queen's trial and possibly their own deaths.

"Well you became a pirate, My Love." Pain sighs as he kisses her cheek.

She loved him. Konan really did, but at the moment the pirate woman was extremely tempted to smack the git for saying that.

Konan sighs as they all being packing. "That was a rhetorical question." She glares at him. "Though if you don't get your sexy arse moving, I'll have you walk the plank next to Hidan when this is all over."


	12. Chapter 12

Stormy Seas

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 12

"Everyone listen here and listen well, for today is a day that will make history." A pudgy looking noble waves his hands frantically. "The trial for Queen Kaguya is about to begin. Whether she is cleared of all charges or punished for assassinating our beloved king, we must have faith that truth and justice will prevail."

That was all so ridiculous that Kaguya truly didn't even know how to respond to that. Truth and justice had never had anything to do with courtly life and everyone here with any common sense knew that. Not only that, but where did this man get off?

Did the nobleman actually believe that Danzo had been beloved? Pft. The only people who 'loved' him were those who had their pockets lined by him and even then, their affection had been bought. So why was he pretending otherwise?

"So be ye all a witness to this most important day." Aoi, the pudgy man, nods at them.

She supposed it didn't matter. It was all grand spectacle for everyone. Several hours had passed since Orochimaru and Kabuto had last come to her aid and her end might very well be near.

He glances towards her. "Your Majesty, how do you plead to the charge?" The man probably fancied himself as doing God's work or something of that sort. That or he just liked putting on a show. "Did you place that serpent in the king's bed? Did you associate King Danzo or are ye innocent?" She couldn't decide which.

"I plead that I'm innocent." She looks at the crowd.

Some were seated, but most were standing. She had never seen so many people in all her life. Not even at her own Coronation. This was all absurd.

It seemed that there was only one thing that fascinated the nobility and peasantry alike more than seeing a new ruler crowned, seeing them fall from Grace. Truly, it was a cruel irony that most of the people who had helped her usurp the Uchihas were now watching her demise.

He nods at her. "Very well." Aoi looks around and gestures wildly. "Then today, we shall judge if you are telling the truth or lying to cover up your dastardly crime. Council, your witness." He smiles at Baki.

Would the insults to her dignity not end? Now, she was going to be tried almost as if she was a common criminal.

"Thank you." The middle aged man strides towards her. "Your Majesty, you plead your innocence, but if I may speak frankly?"

That never ended well. Kaguya tries her best not to scoffs at the member of the Council. She couldn't afford to display her true feelings with everyone's eyes on her. If she was truly going to survive this, Kaguya needed to put her acting skills to the test.

She makes her lower lip quiver. "O-Of course, you may speak frankly." Fake tears pooling by her eyes. "T-That's the only way we're going to get to the bottom of this. I'm innocent. I tell you."

He nods and sighs. His every movement told Kaguya all she needed to know. Baki was not a man who enjoyed the spotlight. Frankly, it was shocking that he had agreed to this at all.

"You and Danzo did not appear to have the warmest relationship and he was several years your senior." Baki nods and Kaguya mentally sighs. This trial was not starting out well for her. "You're also a woman who is still in her childbearing years. If he were to die, you could remarry and have an heir."

It was difficult not to narrow her eyes at him. "Good Sir, are you saying that you would believe me to be innocent…had I been older?" She pauses for a moment. "I'm afraid that I can not change the year of my conception. That's a matter you'll have to take up with my late parents."

That causes much laughter from the peasants and nobles alike. Good. It had been improper, but it had helped to get the crowd at least somewhat more on her side.

Which could only be a good thing for her. As much as Kaguya was loathed to admit it, she needed the audience to want her to live. This was first time in her entire life, where she was relying on people's love for her and not her fear of her. What a strange paradox, she had found herself in.

* * *

Deidara shakes his head as the Akatsuki and Chidori crews arrive. "It looks like we're late." The trial had already started. "But we'll save the boys anyway. Aye?"

The other pirates nod their heads in agreement as Gai starts sprouting some nonsense about the Power of Youth. Deidara honestly had no idea what the man was babbling about though.

"Quiet." Konan gags him and the blonde sighs in relief.

That was better. Normally, he liked things loud. Gai was the exception though. More than once on their journey towards the castle, Deidara had considered just cutting out his tongue for some peace and quiet. Which was really quite uncharacteristic of him.

"Aye!" Kisame grins at Deidara. "That's the spirit."

Konan smacks her forehead as Pain does the same. Those two were such snobs sometimes. Did they really have to wonder out loud why they were surrounded by idiots? That was very hurtful. Aye?!

* * *

Otoko makes her way closer to the queen. It was all rather strange. To be dressed as a priest. This probably counted as some type of blasphemy. She was sure of it.

"I shall do the talking." Madara nods at them reassuringly. "I've been waiting to do this for the longest time."

She knew that was the truth. What Otoko didn't know was whether or not, it would be enough though. Could her grandfather really end this?

"Very well." Kakashi nods at him. "Our disguises will get us there, but after that there is no telling what will happen."

She frowns at that thought. It was more likely than not that they'd all be dead before the Sun set. Still, they had to try.

"If I thought I could get away with it, I would smack you for lower our morale right now." She rolls her eyes at him.

He probably didn't see her do it though. Her hood was obscuring her face really well. Which was a damn good thing. There weren't any female priests in England in this era.

Maybe, someday that would change. Though that was really the least of their problems. The princes were counting on them. It was up to them to ensure Itachi and Sasuke reclaimed their rightful place as the King and Prince of England. Come Hell or high water.

"You seem to enjoy smacking me." Kakashi observes thoughtfully.

Yes, yes, she most assuredly did. Really, the man brought it on himself more often than not. Then again, she was a female pirate. It was in her job description, really. He should know that.

She shrugs as they creep ever closer. "I can not entirely deny that in good conscience." It was probably bad enough that she was dressed as priest when she wasn't one, Okoto didn't want to add to her list of sins by lying while dressed up in such a fashion.

Would that count as two sins or one? Hmm. That was an interesting thought to ponder.

"Quiet." Madara shakes his head. "As amusing as it is to watch the two of you bicker, we do have serious work to do." That was true. Like saving England from being plunged into a civil war, once the queen was executed.

"Sorry." Their words barely qualify as a whisper, but Otoko was quite certain Madara heard them all the same.

* * *

Itachi was making his way with Sasuke towards where the trial was taking place when they were stopped by some guards. This was going to be annoying.

"What the Hell do you two think you're doing?" The guard raises an eyebrow. "You can't walk up straight to the trial like that!"

The eldest prince smiles. "We're terribly sorry, but we have urgent business as it pertains to the trial." That should do the trick. Surely.

The first guard looks less than convinced and the second even less so. If anything, his companion looked almost angry at Itachi's choice of words and he soon found out why.

"What are ye doing?" He twitches. "Talking all fancy like? You and your friend are just servants. Ain't ya?"

That was terribly irritating, but Itachi nods. As much as it stung his pride, he and Sasuke had come up with a plan and it would be best to stick to it. That was the only way that they were ever going to get their thrones back.

Still, Itachi smiles at him. "We're sorry." He pauses for a moment. "We've just been watching the nobility and heard them talking all proper like and copied them without even realizing it."

Even that was apparently too proper for the guard's liking because he was about to take a swing at Itachi. "Stupid brat. You don't know your place." He never go the chance though because a hissing sound is heard.

It was too late for the guard to retract their hand, but he was now screaming his head off. As anyone would, really. It was an Adder.

"SNAKE!" The grown man screams like a frightened child. "Kill it! Kill it!"

Another guard moves to do exactly that, but Sasuke blocks it with one of his daggers. "Stop it! It wasn't hurting anyone!" Itachi was sincerely inclined to agree with that, but the guard certainly wasn't because he moves to smack Sasuke again.

This time, the Adder did hurt someone. The snake bites the hand of the guard who was trying to strike Sasuke and well, he was on the ground rather quickly. Adder venom was deadly.

"You're some kind of demon!" The man was desperately fighting for his life.

Itachi's eyes narrow at that. "No. He's far worse than that." It was fitting that this bastard would die without anyone really knowing or caring why. "He's the Prince Sasuke of England and I couldn't be prouder of my foolish little brother for sending you straight where you belong. To Hell."

It was probably beneath him, but Itachi spikes on the man anyway. It was disturbing really. How satisfying it was to watch the man die. It served him right for tormenting an innocent child and animal. It wasn't the Adder's fault that he was a scaly, venomous creature.

"P-Prince Sasuke?" The other guard sinks to his knees in shock. "L-Little brother, but that would make you…"

Sasuke smiles as he pets the snake. "High Prince Itachi Uchiha of England and the true king." It was amazing how his foolish little brother could sound so regal and look so adorable at the same time.

Had Itachi the time, he would have loved to paint a picture to capture the moment. It would have made for one Hell of a family portrait, but they had to get going.

"He's correct." He glares at the other man. "We're not ghosts either. We're flesh and blood and if you try to stop us from doing what needs to be done, well I'm sure the Adder will be happy to send you to Hell with your friend."

The other guard shakes his head. "No, that's not necessarily." He was terrified. Which meant the man wasn't a complete idiot. "Your Majesties, I am so sorry. Please allow me to help you set this right."

Sasuke pets the snake more and watches the guard with wary eyes. His wariness was more than merited in Itachi's opinion. The man certainly hadn't given a damn about them a few minutes ago.

"How can you help us?" Itachi raises an eyebrow.

"My name is Ryo and I can help you by getting you closer to that usurper." My how quickly his tune had changed. "There you can tell everyone the truth. They'll let me through because I'm a guard."

That made sense. Itachi wasn't entirely sure that he trusted Ryo. Still, he could make for an excellent shield if things went south.

"Very well." He nods. "Come, Sasuke. There is much to be done and not a great deal of time to do it in."

Sasuke nods and with that being said, the three of quickly stride forward. Well four, if you counted the Adder that Sasuke was carrying in his arms as if it was a cuddly kitten.

Really, his brother could truly be so foolish sometimes. Did he not realize that was a deadly snake? It would only take on bite to end Sasuke's life and yet, his brother seemed to have come to some strange understanding with the creature that was strangely…touching.

* * *

This was the moment, Kakashi's heart was pounding fast in his chest. They had arrived. Their priest robes would by them some time, but they'd be blessed to see another sunrise.

"It's shame that we're probably going to die before we ever became lovers." He keeps his voice as soft as possible so that only Otoko could hear it.

Truly it was a wonder, even now the woman looks as though she wanted to smack him. Kakashi wasn't entirely sure how he knew this. Her face was completely covered by her hood, but he just did.

He could picture that adorable sulking face of hers. It must have been a Uchiha family trait because he had also seen it on Itachi and Sasuke. Hell, Madara probably also had it and Kakashi just hadn't seen it yet.

"It's a shame that your handsome face belongs to a bloody idiot." She snorts under her breath.

He smiles fondly at that. The woman would never changed and that was enough to make Kakashi forget in that brief moment, that they were likely about to die.

"You there!" Baki blinks. "What are you doing here? This isn't last rites and the accused hasn't said she wants to confess."

Only for a moment though. The reality wouldn't allow Kakashi to be distracted for much longer than that.

Madara just smiles at them as he lowers his hood. "No, she hasn't." He looks around. "Though there is much this woman has to confess to."

There were a few gasps, but most people were puzzled. Madara might have aged gracefully, but he was still a far cry from the dashing figure that he had cut in his youth. Gone was that midnight black mane that the man had once been so famous for, replayed locks of gray.

"I am Madara Uchiha." He nods at the startled crowd. "There is much that I have to say to you on this day and I ask that you remain silent as I do."

That silence didn't last very long as two boys walk towards the center of the trial with an Adder and a guard in two. The description was so unbelievable that Kakashi didn't even need to see their faces to see who they were.

"Only Itachi and Sasuke would be that foolish." He sighs under his breath, praying that no one else could hear him.

He'd have to move fast, if he wanted to protect them. Unfortunately, he never got the chance because it was Kaguya who was livid.

"An Uchiha survived the Plague?" Kaguya's eyes were like ice. "You must have been the one who made the pact with the Devil and spread the Plague amongst the nobility!"

"LIAR!" Oh yes, it was definitely Itachi who was speaking now. "Madara did no such thing."

Kakashi had never met two boys who were more foolish than Itachi and Sasuke. He had also never met two boys who he was prouder of.

"You can not just interrupt a trial like this!" Baki scoffs. "We are attempting to determine if the queen is guilty of murder and I will not have accusations of pacts with the devil made without any proof." He gestures towards Kakashi and Otoko. "We have priests in attendance. They can divine that better than the likes of I can."

Otoko shakes her head and that's when Kakashi knew things were about to get complicated. "I'm afraid that I'm no priest." She lowers her hood. "You see I am Otoko Uchiha. The granddaughter of Madara."

Gasps went up everywhere and Kakashi mentally groans. This bloody lot was just bound and determined to get them all killed. He just knew it.

"Another one who made a pact with the devil!" Kaguya screeches filled the air. "I told you that I was innocent. It was them. I swear it on my life."

It was then that a beautiful woman with ruby red eyes steps forward. "Well we know who two of the priests were, but I'm afraid that we don't know who these boys are or who the third priest is." She smiles at the crowd. "I would say that for the sake of decorum we should determine both of those things. The record might very well be altered by this. Do you not agree, Baki?"

Baki sighs and looks at Kakashi. "Lower your hood." He then turns his gaze towards the boys and the guard. "The three of you have some explaining to do. Starting what in God's name is that boy doing with an Adder in his hands?!"

That was the wrong thing to say. Kakashi moves to grab his sword as soon as the words left Baki's mouth, but it was to no avail.

"AN ADDER, LIKE THE ONE USED TO KILL THE KING!" Her shrieks reminded him all too much of a banshee. "I TOLD YOU THAT I WAS INNOCENT!"

Orochimaru and Kabuto come forward and Kakashi glares at them. So these two were on the queen's side, eh? He'd have to make sure to kill them at some point in the near future.

"Yes, the queen is innocent." The two men speak as if they were one entity.

Frankly, it was all rather disturbing. Though it was probably the least unsettling thing about this entire situation.

"LIARS!" This time Sasuke was the one whose voice filled the courtyard. "She's not innocent." The snake in his arms hisses as if to echo the sentiment.

"HOW DARE YOU?! YOU FILTHY LITTLE BRAT!" Kaguya was about to attack Sasuke, but she stumbles over the chains around her ankles and falls.

Kakashi was man enough to admit that he enjoyed seeing her laying in the dirt in such a fashion. It was where she belonged, really.

"I am High Prince Itachi Uchiha." Though it was Itachi who stole the show. "This is my brother Sasuke Uchiha and she and all those who served her are usurpers. They conspired against our family and pretended that the Uchihas were reasonable for the Plague spreading to the Noble Houses!"

Kakashi couldn't have been prouder of them, if he had sired the boys themselves. Now, only one question remained. Were any of them going to live to see another day?

"What proof do you have of this?!" Another noble screams. "You can't just make such an accusation without any proof."

Madara smirks at that. "The fact that the king is dead and the youngest is the spitting image of the late queen Mikoto is not enough for you?" Yes, that last part did make it rather difficult to deny. "Look at the portraits and do the math. These are the rightful heirs to the English Throne and those that stand against them are standing against the natural order of things themselves."

Well Kakashi had to give the man this much. He certainly could put on one Hell of a show when he was properly motivated. Then again, Madara had said he'd been planning this moment for years. He'd had more then enough time to rehearse his speech.

"Look at the boy, if you need further proof." Otoko cuts in. "He holds a deadly snake in his grasp and yet, it does not bite. Even the animal recognizes their claim is a just one."

Hmm. That was actually quite clever of her, but would it be clever enough? Kakashi could see some Nobles were thinking about cutting them down, but the peasants were now openly buzzing amongst themselves.

So it had come to this then. The elites would fight to keep their ill gotten gains and the peasants would back the boy princes. Very well then. It was a good thing that he had brought his sword.


	13. Chapter 13

Stormy Seas

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy the battle chapter.

Chapter 13

 _Insanity._ Sasuke had heard that word before, but he'd never actually seen it in action. That's the only word that he could find to describe what was now going on.

"Die imposter!" One of the noblemen came flying at him.

He never got the chance to actually hit him though. Itachi manages to grab a dagger in time and hurls it at the other man's eye. "AHHH!" His cry of pain was nearly deafening as he sinks to his knees, yanking out the dagger pitifully as he clutches what remained of his eye.

Itachi glares at him. "You attacked a child." His voice was filled with far more venom than the Adder's bite could ever hope to be. "More importantly, you attacked my brother. You're lucky that your eye is all that I've taken from you on this day."

"Kill him!" Kaguya's screams were even worse than the noble's. "No child could do that. He's possessed. The Uchihas are possessed." She was worse than any Banshee. "Can't you not all see that?!"

Apparently, someone could see it because some arrows go flying. One of which strikes Itachi's shoulder, causing his brother to scream. "Big brother!" Sasuke immediately races over to his side, after snatching the shield from the guard. "It'll be alright."

They had come this far. There was no way that Sasuke was going to allow some arrow to kill his brother. His brother who also happened to be the true King of England.

"It's alright, Sasuke." He grits his teeth in pain as he yanks out the arrow. "It's not even my sword arm."

His brother's arm was bleeding. Not enough to kill him, but Sasuke had seen wounds like those kill men in the long run. Infections were dangerous.

"IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO GO STRAIGHT TO HELL, DEMONS!" Two nobles come flying at Sasuke and Itachi.

The young Uchiha had just enough time to pull out his own sword and slash at their faces. Blood sprays over him and him and his brother, but it was enough to slow them down.

Not enough to kill them though. "You really should watch your backs more closely." Kakashi and Otoko took care of that by running the men through. "Just because you're cowardly enough to attack children, doesn't mean someone else won't be cowardly enough to attack you from behind."

The grass surrounding their would be attackers was now stained red. This would be the day that would be remembered in terms of body count, Sasuke realizes.

* * *

Gai could swear that his heart had stopped beating for a moment. "They're attacking the princes!" For a few seconds, it had truly looked as though Itachi and Sasuke were about to meet their Maker. Fortunately, that hadn't been the case, but the battle was just getting started.

"Aye." Konan nods at him. "We'll split into groups." That seemed a logical enough idea. "Nagato and Gai are with me. Kisame, Deidara, and Sasori you'll be in the second team." Right. There had to be one more team though. "Finally, Kakuzu, Hidan, and Zetsu, you'll be working together in this."

Hidan looks less than impressed by that as the arrows, knives, daggers, and swords begin flying. "Why do I always have to work with him?" He points to Kakuzu.

Now was really not the time to be pondering such things in Gai's mind. This was the time to act and to save the kingdom from being destroyed. They didn't have time for this.

"Because she bloody said so." Nagato glares at Hidan. "Now shut ye mouth and fight!"

There was some more grumbling, but that did the trick. The teams separate quickly and join the fray.

"Have no fear!" Gai screams. "The Power of Youth shall save the day!"

* * *

These people were fools and they were going to get themselves killed. Kaguya had no alternative at the moment though. She needed to stay by Orochimaru and Kabuto. They were her best hope of surviving this.

"Can ye cut her chains at least?" Kabuto stares at Baki as though he had lost his mind. "There is a war breaking out and there's not much point in trying her, if she's killed on the battlefield."

That was a splendid point, Kaguya thinks to herself as a man with bushy eyebrows charges into a group of nobles with a blue haired woman and an orange hair man.

"Aye!" Baki finds a sword and slashes the chains off her. "Don't be running away, you'll always be found. Justice will be served."

Someone was attempting to shoot the bushy browed man who was knocking people unconscious with his mighty fists left and right. Their arrow only grazed his cheek though, but it did more than that to Baki.

"Well at least he undid my chains before dying." Kaguya sighs as the man falls over.

He'd been struck dead. The arrow had gone clean through his head. Straight into his brain. There was no coming back from that.

"Take this, you false queen!" Someone screams at her.

Kaguya barely had time to shove Kabuto in front of her before the person runs the silver haired man through with their sword. Just like that, he was dead and the bastard had just ruined her dress by bleeding all over it as well.

"You're going to have to do much better than that, if you truly want to kill the likes of me." She seethes.

The blue haired woman turns her head briefly and locks eyes with her. "You've used one of your shields." She smiles at her slyly as she slices open a noble's throat with a dagger. "You won't last long."

The woman really should have worried about herself more. It didn't take long for a palace guard to smash his fist into the woman's back and to knock her on her arse. That probably would have been the end of the woman, had it not been for the orange haired man.

He smashes his fist into the attacker's face and helps his lover to her feet. Life would have been a lot easier, if only Kaguya had been able to find such a suitable companion.

"Are you alright, Konan?" He smiles at her.

She nods reassuringly. "I'm better. Though you best watch your back, Pain." She slams some knives into men who were about to attack him from behind. "This place is going to turn into a blood bath."

She was certainly right about that. It was about that Kaguya hears several loud explosions going off. "Wonderful." Now, it was apparent the pirates had brought explosives with them.

That's what they were. She recognized the name Pain. He was a part of the Akatsuki Crew. Which could mean only one thing. It would be nothing short of a miracle, if they all managed to get out of this alive.

* * *

This was complete madness, Otoko thinks to herself as she fights back to back with Kakashi. The princes were by them and if they were going to get them out of this alive, they couldn't afford to let the children out of their sight.

"May I have this dance, My Lady?" Kakashi chuckles as they both swing their blades at anyone foolish enough to get near the princes.

She rolls her eyes at that. "I'd normally tell you to sod off for being so cheeky." Blood was spraying from whatever wounds she inflicted on her enemy. "But we don't have time for that. I suppose beggars can't be choosers."

Speaking of that, her crew was fighting admirably at the moment. Not that she had expected any less, but she really wished that Hidan would keep the whole decapitation tactic to a minimum.

"You're such an idiot." Kakuzu could be heard stabbing someone nearby. "You're damn lucky that gash wasn't an inch or two lower or else you would have lost an eye."

That was indeed the case. Hidan could have easily lost an eye, but of course that didn't seem to bother him in the least.

"Will you quit your bellyaching and fight like a man?" He glares at Kakuzu.

Kakashi shakes his head and Otoko knew exactly what he was thinking. Those two would never stop fighting. No matter what.

Hell, even Madara couldn't resist commenting on it. "You've got yourself quite the eccentric crew there." Sadly, she couldn't really argue with that.

"Well you've got yourself two working arms there." She shakes her head. "Best to use them as good as you can, Old Man. That is, if you want us all to get out of this alive."

Kakuzu wasn't done with Hidan yet though. "I'll show you a man!" He charges more fiendishly into the fray, stabbing his foes in the heart.

Red was now staining the grass in ever greater quantities. It was now beginning to be hard to tell which was the 'true' color of the ground underneath their feet. Green or red?

"Kakuzu! Watch where you're swinging that thing!" Zetsu tries to warn his companion.

It was too late though, Otoko observes as Kakuzu howls in pain as one of his fingers gets sliced off. Still, Zetsu's warning had probably saved Kakuzu from losing his entire hand or worse.

That and Zetsu wasn't idle as he slams his foot into the man who attacked Kakuzu. Sending him crashing back with a sickening crack into a wall. He didn't get back up.

"She's got a shield!" Itachi points to Orocohimaru.

That was true. They'd have to get rid of that snake. Otoko wanted to do it so badly, but Sasuke's hand on her shoulder stops her.

"She's too far away. You'd be mowed down by arrows." He whispers.

* * *

This was utterly absurd. Orochimaru had never seen anything like it. He hadn't used a sword in years, but that's what he was reduced to.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty." He would protect this woman with his life.

Of course, Orochimaru deeply mourned Kabuto's death. Still, he was in no hurry to join his friend in the afterlife.

"DAMN IT!" A blonde woman screams. "My hair got singed with the explosions."

Wait. That wasn't actually a woman. Orochimaru could tell by the voice. .That was a man? He blinks at that discovery.

"Don't be distracted by that idiot." Kaguya sneers at him. "We've got to find a way out of this and quickly."

His lady was right. Though it didn't help, that he could see a blue haired man also lopping off limbs and heads, despite the fact he appeared to have been slashed quite badly in his chest.

"You picked the wrong pirate crews to mess with!" Kisame laughs madly.

Orochimaru did recognize the man. So pirates had come to the castle, it seemed. How very interesting.

"You're time is at an end, Scurvy Dog!" A red head comes flying at him.

The strangest thing was that he didn't seem to be armed with anything. That was until Orochimaru winces in pain. Needles.

Why had the man thrown needles at him? "That's not enough to kill me." The fool, Orochimaru smirks as he withdraws his sword and prepares to battle Sasori.

"Yes, it is." He smirks. "That's quite the toxic poison."

As if to prove his point, Orochimaru suddenly found it impossible to move as he sinks to his knees. It was as if his heart was about to burst and he was so dizzy.

"You'll be dead in minutes." He smirks as he advances towards Kaguya. "As will you, Your Majesty." The man taunts the queen, but she was fast and agile enough to flee and dodge his deadly needles.

Orochimaru vomits as he looks up at the sky. "G-God save the queen." With those final words, the man breathes his last and falls completely still.

* * *

The carnage just wouldn't stop. Everywhere Kakashi looked, there were bodies. Some were dead and some were dying, but two common threads remained. Death and blood.

"Get down." He looks at the princes. "Stay down." Laying on the ground would be the smartest move they could make in this case.

Mercifully, they actually listen for once. Will wonders never cease?

"Once the queen is dead, we can end this." He looks at Otoko. "Stay with the children. I shall go and fight her."

Otoko gives him a dirty look. "I shall go and fight her." She sighs and shakes her head. "That woman is responsible for nearly wiping out our line and Madara would never be able to reach her in his condition. So it falls to me."

Madara twitches at that and Kakashi gulps. That could not be a good sign.

"Too old am I?!" Madara rushes towards Kaguya. "I shall show you too old!"

The old man really wanted to die. That was the only logical explanation that Kakashi could come up with as he hears the roar of battle in his ears.

"We've got to help him!" Itachi and Sasuke didn't stay down for long.

The two boy dash off after Madara and Kakashi groans. "Well it seems as though our decision has been made for us." He shakes his head as he flits towards the boys and Madara with Otoko at his side.

"Today, you shall die!" Madara glares at Kaguya. "Oh how I have waited for this day."

The woman glares right back at him. "As if you could kill me." Honestly, must people have such drawn out battles to the death, Kakashi shakes his head. It seemed so overdramatic. "Get on with it, you old codger!"

"No, Prince Itachi, Prince Sasuke! It's not safe." That's when a guard tries to throw himself over the princes to protect them.

It was also at that precise moment that an Adder was about to make his own move. The snake had been about to bite Kaguya, but bit the guard instead.

"Damn it." Otoko winces. "It's too late for the guard, but it isn't too late for the boys."

Yes, those were Kakashi's sentiments exactly. They had to end this. The sound of explosives, dying screams, and scent of blood hung heavily in the air. It was almost dizzying as he watches the guard breathe his last.

"Ha!" Kaguya laughs. "He was a fool. Dying to protect two princes who will not live to see another sunrise."

Shockingly enough, it was Itachi who made the next move. "You talk too much." Before Kakashi could do anything, the eldest prince lunges at the evil queen with his dagger drawn. "I think that it's about time that we fixed that."

Kaguya smirks and changes course. Kakashi tries to throw himself between the two, but it was too late. A flash of silver and a scream was the only warning he saw before blood gushes forth from Kaguya's mouth as if it were some sort of divine flood.

"You cut out her tongue?" Sasuke blinks at his older brother's savagery.

Itachi nods at him. "You were right, Sasuke. We should fight for our rightful thrones." He glares at Kaguya. "This old crone isn't allowed to die yet. She's going to be our new court jester, once she surrenders."

That seemed a bit counterproductive to Kakashi. How on Earth was Kaguya going to surrender, when she couldn't even speak? Itachi really hadn't thought this punishment through.

"We'll just have her nod." Madara seems rather pleased with his idea as Kakashi throws Kaguya over his shoulder. "Boys stay underneath Kakashi for protection." He looks at Otoko. "We'll have to cover him."

For once, Otoko didn't argue. To say the least, it was an extremely ghastly experience. With almost every step their procession took, more weapons or enemies tried to charge at them.

All were slain though. Either by Otoko's sword, Madara's, or disturbingly enough one of the princes. "Where on Earth did you get those explosives from?" Kakashi frowns as Sasuke throws one at a group of attackers.

Little boys should not be carrying explosives. It simply wasn't done. What was this world coming to?

"We found them in the hideout." Itachi smiles as he copies Sasuke's action. "We weren't going to come here unarmed. That would have just been foolish."

Well, Kakashi couldn't argue with that point. "True, I suppose you don't want to be completely foolish." He rolls his eyes playfully as they dodge another attacker and Otoko slits his throat. "Just mostly foolish. Neither of you should have come here without our permission. You could have both been killed."

He couldn't imagine what he would have done in that case. The princes were like his own brothers or sons. Losing them wouldn't have just been a loss for the kingdom, but for him personally as well.

His attempts to protect them had stopped being purely about duty a long time ago. Now, it was about something else. It was the desire to protect one's family. Perhaps, one of the most powerful and basic instincts that anyone could possess as a human being.

"Exactly." Both princes smile at him as if they were terribly pleased by Kakashi's observation.

Which raised a very good question, Kakashi muses as he stabs another attacker through the heart. How old did one have to be before they truly began to understand the art of sarcasm?

"We're here." Otoko frowns as she looks around. "We need only to go inside and get to the top of the tower. That way everyone can hear us with a blow horn."

That sounded like a fine idea to Kakashi as they race inside to do precisely that. It wasn't easy. Not with Kaguya bleeding all over him and their small group trying to climb the steps.

Still, they somehow managed it. God only knows how, but they did. It was nothing short of a miracle when they made it to the top of the castle. Luckily, there was an emergency blowhorn there.

So Itachi did what any good prince would do in his position. He blows into it and gets everyone's attention. "LAY DOWN YOUR ARMS!" It was truly amazing how much authority a thirteen year old could speak with when they had the presence of mind to do so. "THE BATTLE IS OVER. THE FALSE QUEEN HAS SURRENDERED!"

Everyone was shocked enough to precisely that. Though Madara takes the horn next. "If you admit your guilt in framing the Uchiha Family for the spread of the Plague to take power and killing your lover, Danzo…nod your head." He smiles at everyone. "The cat has her tongue you see? It was cut out. So it's the only way the queen can speak."

Kaguya glares at Madara, but she nods her head. There was stunned silence for a moment, but Otoko swoops in to save the day.

"The rightful King and Prince have returned home at long last to reclaim their throne." She smiles at them. "Despite the heavy losses of today, this is indeed a glorious day for Kaguya's tyranny is at an end."

Well that was more than enough to get a roar of thunderous applause. The woman really did have a way with words, Kakashi chuckles.

"Anyone who fought against us, after they knew our identity shall be put to death." Sasuke smiles as he points to the snake. "By a snake's bite for without this snake, we likely would never have survived the battle."

It was a grisly proclamation and several people pale. Likely, because they knew that Sasuke was serious about it. A child's voice was generally an honest one.

"That's Aoda." Madara whispers to Sasuke.

The young prince nods thoughtfully at him and smiles as he pets the snake. How Sasuke had smuggled that creature with him while they were dodging all their attackers would forever remain a mystery to Kakashi.

"I don't suppose you could have been a normal boy and have gotten a dog instead?" Kakashi sighs and Sasuke just laughs as he shakes his head.

Oh well. Who wanted to be normal anyway, Kakashi supposed.


	14. Chapter 14

Stormy Seas

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

 **Chapter Notation:** This takes place two weeks after the last one.

Chapter 14

"We do appreciate you coming all the way here, Your Holiness." Madara bows to the Pope. "I trust that you had a safe journey."

The Pope nods at him and sighs, shaking his head. "Thank you, but I should be the one inquiring about your safety." Sarutobi's eyes seem to bore into their very souls. "The Lord works in most mysterious ways, but it warms my heart to see that the princes are alive and that Kaguya is being punished for her wicked ways."

The man certainly did love to talk, the elderly Uchiha muses. Oh well. It was somewhat of a requirement, given his position.

"Thank you." Otoko curtsies to him, playing the part of a proper Lady. "We're so honored to have you here and do hope that you enjoy the Coronation Ceremony, we're planning."

The transformation was quite remarkable. Looking at her now, Madara never would have guessed that his granddaughter had spent years being a pirate on the High Seas.

Sarutobi smiles and nods. "Oh I'm quite certain that I shall enjoy it very much." He pauses for a moment and sighs. "High Prince Itachi is still quite young though. He will need a Regent."

"Madara will fill that role." Kakashi smiles charmingly at the other man. "Given his age though, Otoko will step in…should Madara ever be unable to perform his duties."

Itachi and Sasuke both smile at the Pope sweetly. Sweetly enough that the elderly man couldn't help, but feel suspicious. What on Earth were the two adorable princes up to this time?

"Kakashi will also advise us." Itachi bows to the Pope. "He is the main reason why we survived in hiding all these years."

Sasuke nods in agreement as he points to Kakashi. "He's a Noble." The boy truly had no fear. "So his pedigree shouldn't be an issue."

Where had the boy learned the word pedigree from? Sasuke was far too young to worry about such things. Who had he been speaking with?

"Ah. An excellent choice." The Pope nods. "From what I gather, you're of noble blood. Though you're title is far enough away from the throne, that few would be worried about you trying to make a sincere claim to the throne should the unthinkable happen."

That was such a silly phrase in Madara's opinion. If it was so unthinkable, then the Pope wouldn't have thought about it in the first place. Still, the man did have a point about that. Such things did need to be taken into consideration.

"Thank you." Kakashi smiles. "I will do whatever I can to serve England."

The Pope nods again. "Good." He glances at Otoko. "She is lovely, but an unwed woman would have an extremely difficult time being Regent. I'm afraid that much gossip would be spread about our fair lady."

Oh boy. This might not end well. To say such a thing to Okoto was like waving red in front of a bull. Was the man out of his mind?

Kakashi smiles serenely as he looks at Otoko. "Yes, she is very lovely." The man was reaching into his pocket for something. "As much as it pains me to admit it, Your Holiness, you do raise a valid concern. One that I should like very much to address."

Madara honestly didn't see how the silver haired man was going to address that. Otoko was still unmarried. It didn't matter what Kakashi said about it. Facts were facts.

"How would you like to address it?" Otoko watches the other pirate carefully.

She was doing her best, but the pirate woman couldn't fool Madara. 'Tobi' as she used to call herself was rather irritated at Kakashi's antics. It was truly a miracle that the woman hadn't blown her proper act and smacked him.

Kakashi smiles as he gets down on one knee and Otoko gasps. "Well by marrying you, of course." The man shows her the ring he had just pulled out of his pocket. "I know that our courtship has been brief, but I do love you and I believe that it would only be fitting to start our marriage in this new era of happiness.

That sly dog, Madara thinks to himself. Now, there was absolutely no way that Otoko could turn him down. Kakashi had proposed in front of the Pope!

* * *

Gai smiles as he looks at the Akatsuki members in the infirmary. Most of their injuries had already healed or were well on their way to doing so, but it never hurt to be cautious about such things.

"Well I'm still missing a finger, but it was worth it." Kakuzu grins. "We're all gonna be right fancylike now."

Right. Well that was one way to look at it, Gai supposed. The Akatsuki Pirates were now set for life.

Kisame nods in agreement and smirks. "The princes all said they'd give us some titles, land, and perhaps even official positions." He tilts his head as he considers it. "They're not entirely sure which positions yet though."

"That's good." Gai smiles at the blue skinned man. "I do hope your chest is feeling better." The pirate had received quite the painful gash on it during the battle.

Frankly, it was nothing short of dumb luck that was the worst that Kisame had received. Still, Gai didn't want to see any of his comrades in pain. Inquiring about their health truly seemed like the least he could do to show that he cared about his comrades.

"Aye, it's doing much better." Kisame nods at him.

Sasori points to his jaw and shrugs. Ah. That was right. The red head's jaw had gotten broken in the fighting.

Konan smiles at him reassuringly. "Don't worry." The woman never let anything ruffle her feathers as far as Gai could tell. "It'll take some time, but you'll be fine."

Naturally, her lover nods in agreement. Nagato was an interesting character to say the least. Gai had never seen someone with so many piercing before.

"She's right." He smiles. "Still, I'm amazed that Deidara didn't blow himself up during the fighting."

The blonde huffs at that. "I know what I'm doing." Clearly, Deidara didn't care for his abilities to be 'insulted' in such a way. "Aye?! Besides, we won. So that's all that really matters."

Hidan touches his face. The man was going to have a scar there for the rest of his life. Gai was quite certain of it.

"A scar seems like a pretty small price to pay for all the bloody money, coming our way." Hidan grins at the thought.

Honestly, the man really did need to have his mouth washed out with soap. Even by pirate standards, his language was quite ghastly.

"Careful." Zetsu shakes his head. "You can use language like that around the moneyed class."

Gai nods in agreement. "He's right, you know?" That was perhaps one of the fastest way they could let everyone know that they didn't really belong in the elite circles of high society.

"Oh shove off." Hidan rolls his eyes.

* * *

Otoko was trying her best not to gape at the beautiful ring Kakashi was showing her. The Pope was only a few feet away from the young woman, but not gaping was proving to be a nearly impossible task.

"Y-You're proposing to me?" She couldn't believe it.

Honestly, the former pirate didn't know what was harder to believe. That Kakashi was proposing to her or how beautiful the ring was.

The ring was a golden band, but it was studded with tiny blue diamonds. She hadn't seen many of those before. Even more incredible than the gold and the intricate swirls that were covered by those small diamonds was the center piece though.

"Yes, I am asking you to marry me." Kakashi smiles at her. "A near death experience is a most wonderful way of helping a man to determine what is important to him." The man could be infuriatingly calm sometimes. "I could have lost you during the fighting and I never want that to happen, Otoko. You're too precious to me."

The center piece was a truly massive blue diamond. Rarely, had she seen diamonds of that size. Let alone, that quality.

Otoko should know. She had been a pirate. She fancied herself quite the expert when it came to precious gems.

Still, the sneaky son of a bitch had to be punished. "I feel the same way." Kakashi had to know she couldn't tell him no in front of the Pope. That took all the risk out of proposing.

So she did the only thing she could do. Otoko glomps Kakashi and sends them both rolling on the ground. Much to the Pope's and everyone else's amusement, of course.

"Operation Mermaid was a success." Sasuke laughs next to Itachi.

Sarutobi looks at the young boy in confusion. "What is Operation Mermaid?" He then shakes his head and smiles. "Nevermind. It's such a joy to see two of the Lord's Children so deeply in love. I'm sure that he will smile down upon your union."

Yes, Otoko was sure that their union would be blessed. Though she might make the man walk the plank in shallow water for pulling this prank.

* * *

Kaguya was fuming. They should have killed her. How could she have fallen so far?

She was dressed in ridiculously colored jester outfit. Green and red. It looked positively ghastly on her.

"I'm not really sure what good a jester who can't talk is?" One of the nobleman shakes his head.

That pig. Kaguya might be missing her tongue, but she was quite certain that the nobleman would be missing another body part soon. One that he no doubt considered vital.

Anko shakes her head and sighs. "It was more to make her suffer than anything else." She looks at her former friend with sad eyes. "The princes could have killed her, but High Prince Itachi knew that this would wound her more where it mattered most."

Damn it. Even Anko had deserted her. Well at least publicly. Kaguya wasn't entirely sure what position the woman held privately.

The most infuriating thing about the situation was that Kaguya couldn't blame her. Were their roles reversed, the former queen would have done exactly the same thing. At the end of the day, one's self-preservation instincts would kick in.

"Oh well, that makes sense." The nobleman nods.

That bastard. He had benefited enormously from Kaguya's reign and here he was acting as if he hadn't.

Kurenai walks over to them. "I wouldn't wag your tongue so much." She glances at him. "It's only through sheer dumb luck that you haven't been bitten. You didn't raise a sword to help Kaguya during the final battle, but we all know where your loyalties really were."

Ha! Yes, Kaguya had always known that woman had good sense. Apparently, so did the loudmouthed man because the ruby eyed woman's words must have struck a nerve. His fist went flying, but it never landed.

Mostly because the sound of a hiss could be heard. "Damn snake!" The man glares at the Adder.

"I suppose you would damn him." Anko giggles madly. "Because he has far better manners than you. Not to mention, he is better looking. Smart little thing too."

Unfortunately, Kaguya couldn't disagree with that. "Aoda' as everyone had taken to calling him was now Prince Sasuke's beloved pet and bodyguard all wrapped into one.

"I can't believe that thing has been given free reign of the palace." The man seethes. "It could kill someone."

Oh yes, Aoda could kill someone. He had killed someone actually. Danzo.

Kaguya suspected the animal had been trained. It was too well-behaved for that not to be the case. Though she just wasn't' sure who had done it. Whoever had was quite clever and had framed her beautifully.

She'd despise the person to her dying day, but Kaguya had to admire them in a way. They were ruthless and cunning. So was she.

"You're a blooming idiot." Kurenai shakes her head. "Aoda already killed someone. Danzo."

People had stopped calling him the king. Just as they had stopped calling her the queen. It seemed that there would truly be no end to the insults.

"You're a vile wench who doesn't know her place." The man hisses.

He wasn't the only one hissing though. Aoda puffs up and bares his fangs at the man and to Kaguya's surprise, he actually leaves.

"I think that might have been the only time in his entire life, where he did the intelligent thing." She shakes her head in amusement.

* * *

Kakashi still couldn't believe that Otoko had tackled him in front of the Pope. Thank goodness that he seemed more entertained by that than anything. That could have easily gone the other way.

"I can see when two people are in love." Sarutobi chuckles. "Go on both of you." He smiles. "Go and plan your wedding. I'm quite certain that the princes, Madara, and I can begin planning for the Coronation just fine."

Madara grins at that and suddenly, Kakashi found himself feeling rather terrified. Goodness only knew, what that man was plotting. He had years to think about this.

"If you're certain." Kakashi smiles as he and Otoko stand up. "We wouldn't want Your Holiness to feel disrespected."

"Oh I'm not feeling disrespected." The Pope smiles at them. "This is wondrous news and a royal wedding will go a long way towards reassuring the people that Kaguya's and Danzo's reign of terror is truly over."

True enough. Kakashi couldn't even believe that was the case himself sometimes. Every day that he woke up and knew that the princes were about to reclaim their rightful place in the world, well it was such a surreal feeling.

For far too long, each day could have been their last. It was only by God's Grace (or sheer dumb luck depending on one's interpretation), that they had made it this far.

"Thank you." Otoko smiles at him. "You're most kind and gracious, Your Holiness."

His future wife could put on a good show when she wanted to, Kakashi muses. That was probably one of the main reasons why she had gotten away with her ruse for so long. Otoko was an excellent actress.

"You're welcome, My Child." Sarutobi grins. "Now, be off with you. I'm quite certain that you have much to do."

"Indeed, we do." She smiles. "Perhaps, we could have our wedding on the same day as the princes. Everyone will already be there and both events will be doubly blessed, I should say?"

What madness was this woman suggesting? Otoko couldn't possibly be serious. She wanted Itachi to be crowned King, Sasuke to be crowned Prince, and them to be married all on the same day? There was no way that such a feat could be managed.

"That sounds like fun." Sasuke beams at them.

Dear Lord, what had they all gotten Kakashi into? Couldn't they see how bloody absurd the notion was?

Madara nods in agreement. "It does sound like a splendid time." He smiles. "At my age, it's not a sure bet that I'll make it to either. So I should think that the sound, the better."

"I agree wholeheartedly." Sarutobi smiles as Kakashi internally groans.

There was no getting out of this now. He had been overruled. Damn it.

"Very well." He smiles at them. "In that case, Otoko and I have much to discuss and not a terribly long time to do so in." Kakashi offers her his arm. "Shall we be off, My Dear?"

Otoko smiles and takes his arm as the two of them walk off together. Honestly, Kakashi should have seen this coming. Of course, a pirate queen would be sneaky.

* * *

Kurenai blinks a few minutes later when she sees Kakashi and Otoko approaching them. She had heard tales of both of them. Two nobles who escaped the downfall of the Uchiha Family and became pirates afterwards.

"Good day to you, Lord Kakashi and Lady Otoko." She smiles at them.

Of course, that last part was something that wasn't spoken of openly. No one could really prove it either, but Kurenai knew the truth. Those two were pirates and she'd be stupid to say so out loud. Let the rumors die out on their own. She was just glad that the princes had reclaimed their thrones.

"Good day." Kakashi smiles at her. "I do hate to impose on you, but we could use your assistance."

It didn't escape Kurenai's notice that Kakashi and Otoko were both glaring at Kaguya. Who wouldn't in their position though? Goodness only knows the Hell that woman had put them and their loved ones through.

"Well, I should like to help you in whatever manner I can." She smiles at them more as Aoda nods his head approvingly.

There were times that Kurenai swore that snake understood English. Just how intelligent were Adders anyway? Apparently, the answer was very.

Otoko giggles and smiles. "Well you see, we are to be married." The young woman promptly displays a beautiful ring and kisses Kakashi's cheek. "We'll need help to plan our wedding though. We can't possibly manage it all by ourselves."

Oh that was wonderful news! A wedding! Yes, that was exactly what this castle needed.

"I'd love to." She nods at Otoko. "I'm certain that the castle's seamstresses and tailors will have a grand time designing your gown.. You don't need to worry about a thing." The thought of organizing a wedding was making her feel rather giddy.

"Just make sure to throw those flowers at the right person." Anko winks. "As long as you keep that in mind, I'd like to help as well."

The woman was positively outrageous, Kurenai thinks to herself. Oh well. It couldn't hurt to have another pair of hands on hand to help with organizing a Royal Wedding.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Otoko beams at them.

Kakashi looks a little uncomfortable as he coughs. "Oh and there is just one more thing." Uh oh. Why didn't Kurenai have a good feeling about this?

What could possibly cause a grown man like Kakashi to fidget like that? Nothing good. Surely. For goodness sakes, the man was a pirate. Kurenai highly doubted that he made a habit of fidgetting.

"What is it?" Kurenai smiles at them.

It was his lady who spoke next. "We're planning to have our wedding at the coronation." She smiles at her sweetly.

 _ **Thud!**_ The ruby eyed woman wasn't proud of it, but it was enough to knock her right over onto her backside.

It wasn't just her though. Anko fell over in shock as well and for good reason. They had to be insane.

"Are the two of you utterly mad?!" She blinks. "It can't be done."

Kakashi shakes his head and smiles. "Otoko is most assuredly mad, but I love her anyway and I'm quite certain we'll make it work." He pauses for a moment and then adds. "Somehow."


	15. Chapter 15

Stormy Seas

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. The next one will be the final chapter for Stormy Seas.

 **Chapter Notation:** I basically did the coronation scene on the fly. It probably isn't particularly historically accurate, but I think it works well. Happy reading.

Chapter 15

Kakashi had absolutely no idea how they had done it, but a miracle had been performed. Somehow, they had managed to organize a wedding and a double coronation at the same time.

"Oh don't look so shocked." Sarutobi chuckles at him. "People are thrilled that Kaguya and Danzo are gone. It's only natural that the castle's staff would be more than eager to assist you in the planning."

The silver haired man nods in agreement at that. Well, he supposed that made sense. That and arguing with good fortune when you happened to stumbled into it, seemed like an awfully stupid thing to do.

He smiles at the Pope. "Yes, you're quite right." He looks at the golden alter with the red and white roses intertwined in it.

It was both beautiful and noble. Thus it was the perfect place to be married underneath and would make for an excellent spot for Itachi and Sasuke to be crowned.

The entire courtyard was jammed full of people. Kakashi didn't delude himself. Their wedding was just a warmup for the coronation for most of the people. Though it was flattering to have so many guests all the same, especially considering the Akatsuki were amongst them.

"Kakashi, this is so beautiful." Tears of joy stream down Gai's face. "So very youthful."

Well if nothing else, the gardens wouldn't need watered anytime soon. His friend might actually cry a literal river at this rate. Kakashi knew that Gai was happy for him, but damn this was just bordering on ludicrous.

"Yes, it is." Itachi blinks as he looks at Gai. "Are you going to be alright?"

The prince had every right to be concerned. After all, even Madara was looking more than a little nervous for Gai's well-being at this point.

Gai smiles at him. "Oh don't worry, Your Majesty." Uh huh. "I'll be fine. I'm just so happy for Lady Otoko and Kakashi."

Sasuke laughs softly. Though Kakashi supposed that was all very well and good. There were few things that would soften the hearts of the masses more than seeing an adorable little prince laughing and a wedding at the same time. This could work in their favor.

"If you say so." Sasuke smiles.

Lively music was playing and the scent of food was everywhere. Goodness only knows what sort of cake and feast the chefs had prepared, Kakashi thinks to himself.

Though he knew the best was yet to come. Soon, he would get to see his beloved Pirate Queen wearing a royal gown. Which would be delightful because he had no intention of every letting her live it down.

"If I have to wear this outfit, then she has to wear a gown." Kakashi mutters under his breath.

He had to make sure that the Pope didn't hear him, of course. That would just be utterly humiliating and Kakashi couldn't handle that thought.

It was such a beautiful day and the start of a new era. Both for England and in his personal life. He could hardly afford to squander that frivolously with a careless comment.

* * *

"Don't worry, My Lady." Kurenai smiles at Otoko inside the castle. "You look beautiful. Go ahead and look at yourself in the mirror, if you do not believe me."

Otoko nods at her gratefully and sighs as she looks at herself in the mirror. Well the gown was indeed glorious, but it felt far too fine for the likes of her. Still, she knew that she had to at least act the part of a 'proper lady' now.

The princes were about to be crowned and her wedding was going to set the stage for that. She simply couldn't afford to mess this up.

"The ivory cream was a lovely choice." Konan smiles as she admires her friend's dress. "It flatters you."

For goodness sakes, there was something severely wrong with the world when the pirate woman was acting as if she was a Lady In Waiting. Oh well. There was no help for it. They had to keep up appearances.

"Yes, thank you." She smiles and nods as she adjusts the satin straps over her shoulders one final times and tries not to blush at the slightly daring neckline.

It wasn't that Otoko was shy. One couldn't be a wallflower and a pirate. It was just that she knew without a doubt that every single move she was about make would be judged. That especially included her fashion choices.

The gown reached to her ankles though and there was a long train and a veil that went with it. Most lovely of all were ivory cream colored satin roses that had been sewn into it.

This wasn't a dress fit for a lady. It was a dress fit for a queen. What on Earth had the seamstress been thinking?

"I hear the sound of laughter." Anko smiles at her. "That must mean the flower girls and ring bearers have done their duty."

It was hard for Otoko to trust someone who had been so close to Kaguya. Still, Anko didn't strike her as a stupid woman. She was 'loyal' to whoever was in power.

"Good." She nods. "We shall proceed then, but you are not to go anywhere near my family without their direct order, Anko." The former pirate figured she may as well lay out the ground rules now.

Anko blinks and takes a step back as if slapped. "Yes, My Lady." Though the woman knew better than protest.

That was a good sign. She should know before the princes were crowned that her new place in the court would not be as high as the previous.

"Good." Okoto smiles as they begin making their way outside.

* * *

Sasuke smiles as he looks around at all the happy faces. It mattered little whether they were nobles or peasants. Everyone was happy or at least pretending to be.

Most likely, the peasants were genuinely happy and a good portion of the nobles were acting. Sasuke may not know very much about politics yet, but he was damn sure that at least some of the nobles were rightfully nervous.

Aoda and his brethren had already killed most of the direct conspirators. There were still those who had 'passively' allowed for the ruination of their family though. They would be harder too root out, but Sasuke was confident that they could in time.

"She looks beautiful." Itachi smiles at Kakashi.

Kakashi chuckles and nods. "That she does. Though she's going to be very displeased with me for making her wear there." Of that, Sasuke had absolutely no doubt.

Otoko didn't strike him as a woman who was used to wearing dresses as fine as that. Sasuke wasn't sure who would have the harder time adjusting to palace life. Him or her.

He did know one thing for sure though. Madara would have the hardest time with his new lot in life. He'd likely be giddy over his victory and well, Sasuke imagined he'd be making merry for quite sometime. Likely make a big fool out of himself, but people would indulge him. He was an old man and a hero.

"I never thought she'd ever be that bloody graceful." Hidan laughs.

Kakuzu shakes his head and swats the foulmouthed pirate. "She's going to make you walk the damn plank again at this rate." Yeah. She probably would, Sasuke thinks to himself.

Still, Otoko carried herself well with her ladies by her side. Which was impressive, given that Sasuke was pretty sure she felt like she stuck out like a sore thumb.

Deidara laughs. "Don't say that in front of her." The blonde was insane. "Aye?!"

That and if he said, 'Aye' one more time Sasuke was going to run him through. Maybe, he'd been forced to walk the plank one too many times and hit his head or something.

"Aye." Sasori nods and Sasuke mentally sighs.

Great. Now, the red head was encouraging the idiot. This wouldn't end well.

Zetsu smiles as Otoko finally reaches them. "It's such a beautiful wedding." Oh good. At least one of them was normal, Sasuke thinks to himself. "I love all the flowers."

You had to be bloody kidding him. The flowers? A pirate loved the flowers? God help them all, the Akatsuki were all bonkers.

"Yes, they're very nice." She smiles as Kakashi takes her hands into his own. "Though I have something far nicer than flowers, even if he drives me half mad sometimes."

The Pope chuckles and shakes his head at that. "If he's only driving you half mad, he's not doing his job yet." Sarutobi directs his gaze towards Kakashi. "Don't worry, I'm quite certain you'll fulfill all your husbandly duties after exchanging vows."

Did the Pope just make some sort of dirty joke? Sasuke was pretty sure that he had.

"Oh I will." Kakashi smiles at the elderly man. "I promise."

Madara smiles and smirks. "Well if you have any questions, you can always ask me." Hmm. That could be interesting. "I may be old, but my memory of such things is as good as ever."

"Oh shush, you old codger." Otoko sighs and shakes her head. "At this rate, you're going to need to go to Confession before the ceremony even officially starts." Well she had a point there.

* * *

Kaguya fumes as she watches the grand spectacle of it all. She couldn't believe this. The princes were about to be crowned and to add insult to injury, a wedding was about to take place before her very eyes.

"Oh stop looking like it's a damn funeral." Someone looks at her. "Oh and kindly move out of my way."

That someone turned out to be a particularly large man. That wasn't what was so strange about him though. His skin was blue as the sky.

Kaguya was about to tell him off, but she still had no tongue. So she settles on giving him her best glower. That ought to get the point across. Well at least that's what she was hoping, anyway.

"I said to move out of my way." The man glares.

She vaguely recognizes him as being Kisame. One of the Akatsuki pirates. Which only makes her blood boil more.

How dare this filthy wretch speak to her in such a fashion? Kaguya might be a jester now, but she had once been a queen. He was nothing more than a common thief.

"Gggg!" She glares at him.

She wanted to tell him to go away. The only thing she could manage was a g sound. How humiliating.

"What's the matter?" He smirks at her. "Cat got your tongue or should I say, the new king got your tongue?"

Kisame was utterly infuriating. Kaguya couldn't wait to see his blood spilled everywhere. That was what was proper and just.

"DDD." The woman tries once again.

She wanted to tell him to die, but nothing more than a d sound originated from her mouth. It was incredibly frustrating.

What was even more so was the fact, he walked off as if nothing had happened. Damn him! Damn Itachi! Damn them all!

* * *

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today for two glorious events." Sarutobi begins a few minutes later as Kisame joins them. "The first of which is the union of Otoko Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake and the second of which is of course, the crowning of a new King of England and a prince!"

There was thunderous applause everywhere, Madara notes with a smirk. The peasants were deliriously happy and the nobles wouldn't dare not clap. They knew as well as anyone else that they were being watched extremely closely for any signs of disloyalty.

"Hisss!" Aoda sways happily.

Aoda would take care of anyone that he deemed a threat to the princes. He was a marvelously intelligent snake. Madara had never seen anything like it before.

"If there is anyone who has any reason why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace." Sarutobi smiles at the crowd.

"Though I really wouldn't recommend objecting." Nagato and Konan smirk at the crowd.

Wisely, no one objects. That was good. Otherwise, Madara was quite certain there would have been blood.

"Wonderful." The Pope smiles. "As there were no objections, do you Kakashi take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health? To stand by her side for all your days and to love, honor, and cherish her until death do you part?"

Kakashi beams at the Pope. It really was such a glorious thing to see two people so deeply in love. Madara's own marriage had been similar, but she had died so long ago.

"I do." He smiles at the Pope.

There was more applause. More cheers. The music grows even more lightly for a moment and then Sarutobi continues with the proceedings.

"Do you Otoko take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health? To stand by his side for all your days and to love, honor, and cherish him until death do you part?"

There was no hesitation in his granddaughter at all. She had most assuredly found her match.

Otoko smiles as well. "I do." It was the smile of a woman in love. Such a beautiful sight.

"Then by the power vested in me, I pronounce thee man and wife." Sarutobi was now grinning from ear to ear. "You may kiss the bride." Well Kakashi certainly didn't need to be told twice, Madara observes as the silver haired man kisses Otoko as if his life depended on it.

Sasuke glances at Itachi. "Operation Mermaid was definitely a success." To which the elder prince nods and Madara tries his best not to chuckle in agreement.

* * *

A few minutes later, Itachi watches the grandness of it all as his brother was crowned. To say the least, it was the moment that he had been waiting for what seemed like an eternity.

Now, that it was finally here. He found himself almost at a loss for words. Could this really be happening.

"You will hence forth be known as Prince Sasuke Uchiha." The Pope places a handsome crown on the boy's head. "Long may you reign with strength, wisdom, and compassion."

The applause that followed was almost deafening. Though it really wasn't hard to see why. Kaguya and Danzo had bought their loyalty with money, titles, and lands. Sasuke bought it with his adorableness.

"Thank you." Sasuke smiles as he gestures to the crowd and waves merrily. "Oh and thank all of you for sharing this glorious day with us. I know it means the world to me, my brother, Lady Otoko, and Lord Kakashi as well."

Yes, he was almost too cute to be allowed to exist. Though Itachi knew what was coming next. His turn was just around the corner.

"It's our pleasure, Your Highness." Came a chorus of replies.

The Pope smiles at that as he looks at Itachi and pulls out the crown. "Henceforth, you shall be known as King Itachi Uchiha." It wasn't that heavy of an object, but Itachi could feel the weight of it on his head as the Pope settles it there. "Long may you reign with strength, wisdom, and compassion."

It was beautiful. So many diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, and all that gold and silver. Not to mention the red velvet on it. Though it was more the symbol of what it meant that mattered, rather than the shimmering magic that the object seemed to possess.

"Of course, Madara Uchiha shall be his Regent until he comes of age." The Pope smiles. "Should Madara not be able to perform for any reason, Lord Kakashi and Lady Otoko will take his place as they are the king's and prince's next of kin."

Naturally, Madara had something to say about that. "I'm ALWAYS able to perform ANY duty that is asked of me." That causes much laughter to be heard throughout the courtyard.

Only Madara would say something like that. Honestly, there were times when his mouth was actually worse than Hidan's.

"Well I'm very glad to hear that." That Pope shakes his head in amusement as if he hadn't expected anything less from the ancient Uchiha and he probably hadn't. "In any case, this is a wedding and a coronation. You'll likely never see both those events at once ever again, SO IT IS TIME TO BE MERRY! REJOICE CHILDREN!"

That was all that needed to be said for everyone to disperse. Some were dancing. Others were dining on all the fine food. Still others were gossiping and playing games.

Everyone had one thing in common though. They were trying their best to follow the Pope's orders. The celebration spilled over into the wee hours of the morning and for weeks after that. Itachi Uchiha didn't remember all the details, but he knew one thing. A grand time was had by all.


	16. Chapter 16

Stormy Seas

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy the grand finale of _**Stormy Seas**_. Oh and feel free to check out my other stories, if you're interested. Happy reading.

 **Chapter Notation:** I've adjusted Mei's age slightly in this story.

Chapter 16

Kakashi chuckles smiles as a three year old boy came barreling towards him. It never ceased to amaze him how fast his son could be when he put his mind to it. He got that from his mother.

"Father!" He laughs as he throws himself into the former pirate's arms.

His silver hair was everywhere and his red eyes were alight with laughter. "It's good to see you too." He smiles and shakes his head in amusement. "You're dressed up nice for the party, I see."

The party was of course, Itachi's birthday. Everyone who was anyone had been invited to it. The king was now seventeen years old and that could mean only one thing. He was now seriously considering marriage. The boy was now a man and just beginning to rule in his own right.

"Yes!" Kaiden smiles at him.

Otoko laughs softly as she ambles over towards them. Ambling because she was already pregnant with their second child. Kakashi personally found her waddling around like a penguin to be a rather endearing.

Naturally, he was far too intelligent to tell her that much. Kakashi would like to live long enough to see his second child. Thank you, very much.

His wife shakes her head and smiles. "I had a devil of a time getting him properly dressed, but we should be going." She rolls her eyes at Kakashi. "I'm not going to allow you to make us late again."

Alright. So maybe, he wasn't the most punctual man who had ever lived. Kakashi made it a point to show up when it was really important though.

"Alright." He puts his hands up in mock surrender. "I suppose that you're correct." The Lord smiles at her as he nudges Kaiden up and then proceeds to wrap his arm around the dark beauty. "We should get going."

"Yes, you'd save yourself a lot of trouble, if you just assumed I was right from the beginning." Otoko smiles smugly as she kisses him.

She had such a sassy mouth, but Kakashi did love it. It had been one of the reasons why their Honeymoon had been simply glorious. Frankly, it hadn't taken long for Kaiden to come along because that woman was very good at handling **all** manner of swords.

He laughs at that as they make their way towards the ballroom. "Yes, I suspect there might be some merit to that idea." That and Kakashi would only tease Otoko so much when she was pregnant. Pregnant women could be very, very dangerous.

"Mother looks so pretty in blue." Kaiden smiles up at her.

Indeed. She did. That royal blue ball gown was both elegant and flattering. How the woman managed to fit into it while she was pregnant was a mystery to him. Though he was assured it was designed for women who were expecting.

"Yes, she does." Kakashi smiles as he kisses Otoko's cheek. "Though she looks pretty in any color."

"You're such a bloody suck up sometimes." Otoko laughs as the young family head into the ballroom. "You're lucky that I love you or else, I might have to make you walk the plank for having such a silver tongue."

Pft. The woman adored his tongue and she knew it. Though that obviously wasn't something that he could say around his still very young and impressionable son.

* * *

Itachi smiles as he watches everyone arrive. It was his birthday and well, everyone knew that. The only event that ever eclipsed his birthday celebrations in terms of grandness was the wedding and coronation.

"So you really have to pick one?" Sasuke looks at Itachi curiously.

It had been four years and Itachi was now a man, if only just. Sasuke was still a boy though. At eleven, thoughts of marriage would be only half-hearted for awhile at best.

Many childhood betrothals would broken long before the children reached adulthood. So in some ways, the elder Uchiha Brother envied Sasuke. He didn't have to think about things like this.

Itachi nods in confirmation. "Yes, I really have to pick one." He also should do it sooner than later.

It took time to arrange royal weddings. Kakashi and Otoko had certainly been the exception, rather than the rule.

"Do you have to pick one at the ball tonight?" Sasuke's eyes were the picture of innocence.

Which was rather ironic. This was the boy who had come up with Operation Mermaid, after all.

Itachi pauses for a moment as he watches more and more people file in. "Not necessarily tonight, but odds are that the woman I'm going to marry is somewhere in this room." The room was filled with some of the most influential people in Europe.

Sasuke nods as he points to someone. "The one in the purple looks pretty." Itachi looks over and blinks.

Pretty, well that was an understatement. He recognized her instantly though. Queen Mei of France.

The woman was a decade his senior, but she was also a queen and a beautiful one at that. Certainly, Mei was far older than most first time brides, but she was still in her childbearing years.

"She might be a good choice." Itachi nods.

France was another powerful country. If someone targeted their family again, they'd have to risk the wrath of not only England, but another superpower. That and he did feel bad for the woman.

She'd had engagements before, but they tended to fall through for one reason or another. He future husband got himself killed on the battlefield, got sick, or just negotiations took a turn south.

Sasuke nods at Itachi and pushes him towards her. "You should go and talk to her." His brother apparently didn't know the meaning of the word manners!

Honestly, what was wrong with Sasuke? Itachi knew that he was trying to help, but he shouldn't just shove the king towards the French Queen like that. Now, he knew how Kakashi felt during Operation Mermaid.

"Oh hello, Your Majesty." Mei smiles at him.

With that exotic hair and those mesmerizing eyes, she was as Sasuke said pretty. Itachi couldn't help, but feel like a child in comparison and rather tongue-tied.

He smiles and bows to her though. "Good evening, Your Majesty." If he was going to find a wife, following the standard procedures of proper manners was essential.

"I'm so glad that you could make it today." He smiles back at her. "Would you do the honor of dancing with me?"

The way her eyes lit up was magical. Yes, Itachi was suddenly starting to understand how Kakashi felt about Otoko a whole lot better now.

"I'd be delighted." She smiles as she heads off towards the dance floor with him.

* * *

Kaguya couldn't help, but seethe at all of this. The injustice of it all. The former prince was now king and apparently about to dance as boldly as you please with a queen.

A queen who was much younger than her and arguably beautiful by almost anyone's standards. She had had bad luck with engagements, but it looked like France was well on its way to having a king now.

"Oh stop your sulking." Deidara shakes his head at her. "Aye?"

These Akatsuki Pirates were thoroughly irritating. The only people who were more vexing were Gai and the Uchihas themselves.

Speaking of that idiot, he was now in the center of the room and grinning from ear to ear. "Everyone make sure to eat, drink, and be merry for it's King Itachi Uchiha's birthday!" He toasts to the king, who nods at him in acknowledgement as he continues dancing with Queen Mei.

"I think she's just jealous because of all the happy couples." Sasori shakes his head in disbelief as he strides over to Deidara. "There's Otoko and Kakashi, Itachi and Mei, Konan and Nagato, and Madara and well almost everyone." He chuckles at that last part.

Indeed. The old codger was certainly having a grand ole time dancing with every lady who was willing to humor him. Which apparently was most of them.

Pity. That's what it was. Why else would they dance with a man with one foot in the grave? It reminded her of her decision to marry Danzo obviously. Men had an expiration date Kaguya's mind.

"That must be it." The flower man nods in agreement. "Well, I'm going to see if anyone wants to dance." When he had snuck over was a mystery to Kaguya as was his appearance, but it mattered now. The entire lot was stark, raving mad.

"You dance divinely, My Dear." Madara twirls around and elderly widow as Kaguya rolls her eyes and notes Nagato was twirling Konan around in a disturbingly similar fashion.

"Thank you." The woman smiles.

Unbelievable. How much would she be forced to endure? Danzo was the lucky one. At least, he hadn't been reduced to being the court jester.

* * *

Sasuke smiles as he watches Itachi dance with Queen Mei. She'd be a good choice for him. Now, he just had to find someone too.

He was only just now beginning to understand politics at eleven thanks to his lessons, but Sasuke knew enough. The sooner the two of them got married, the better off England would be.

"I'm still too young to marry, but I can find a contract." Sasuke smiles, feeling rather pleased at his own cleverness.

Of course, he was the prince of England. Which meant he was lower on the hierarchy than Itachi, but still Sasuke was rather high. He'd either marry someone slightly above him or roughly his own rank.

Marrying a queen would be a bad decision on his part though. He'd end up having to move to her country and he just didn't want to do that. Sasuke wanted to stay in England and rule by his brother's side. So a princess would be the best choice.

"So was your father a shark?" A blonde girl looks at Kisame in awe.

Not that Sasuke could blame her. That's exactly what he had thought about Kisame, the first time he saw the other man and still wondered to this day.

It was just that most people didn't have the courage to actually ask Kisame that. Well at least not to his face and certainly not the first time they met the man.

Kisame just grins at her. "I'll never tell." He winks at her. "That would spoil all the fun."

The Akatsuki had all done well for themselves. Like Gai, he and Itachi had seen fit to give them lands and titles. They were now semi respectable members of polite society. So Konan said anyway.

Sasuke wasn't entirely sure he believed her about them being even semi respectable. Of course, he'd never say that out loud. Itachi had warned him that doing so would be considered mean.

"Oh." She nods and smiles. "I suspect you're right."

Kisame grins at her as Sasuke notices that Hidan and Kakuzu were watching the exchange with interest. Which was really only natural. Watching new people meet Kisame was always amusing.

"Of course, I'm right." He grins at her, displaying all his sharp teeth once more. "So tell me, what might your name be?"

The blonde smiles at him. "Princes Temari Sabaku of Germany." Wait. Princess?

She was a princess. He'd heard that name before. She was the elder sister of Prince Kankuro and Prince Gaara. Though the youngest brother was slated to be the next king because Kankuro was well, he had no interest in ruling for some reason.

Since Temari had brothers, that mean she'd probably never rule over Germany completely. Still, marrying a German Princess would solidify an alliance between those two countries and she was brave enough to talk to Kisame. Brave and pretty. She'd do nicely.

So Sasuke decides to test her further. "Hello." He smiles and bows to her with Aoda in his arms. "I hope this evening finds you well, Your Highness. This is Aoda."

If she was scared of the snake, this simply wouldn't work. Though the young prince mentally gives himself a pat on the back for sounding all official and stuff.

Temari blinks as she stares at the snake. "Very well." She was staring, but not screaming. That was a good sign. "Should I presume that's the snake that was at the coronation? There are all sorts of stories about him."

"Yes, he's one and the same." Sasuke smiles at her.

This was going well. It would be a long engagement, but if successful no one would ever challenge their family again. Itachi would hopefully marry Mei and he'd hopefully marry Princess Temari. Everything would work out perfectly.

* * *

Otoko smiles as Kakashi twirls her and Kaiden around the ballroom. Her husband was many things, but one of them was an excellent dancer. It was just part of his roguish charm, really.

"You seem quite happy tonight." He smiles at her as Kaiden dances between them.

The former Pirate Queen smiles and nods. "I have every reason to be happy." She smiles down at their son and then at Kakashi. "I have a wonderful family, the rightful rulers are back on the throne, Kaguya has been declawed, and I'm well passed the Morning Sickness stage."

Which was frankly a relief. Otoko wanted to find whoever came up with the name Morning Sickness was and make them walk the plank. It was most assuredly not confined to just the mornings. It could strike at any time and in any place. It was most inconvenient.

"Ah yes." He smiles at her. "Those are all very good reasons to smile indeed."

Kaiden looks up at her innocently. "Mother, it can't be morning sickness." He actually giggles. "You got sick at night and the afternoons too."

Yes, that had been exactly her point. Though Otoko knew it would be more than worth it in the long run. This was just something that mothers had to endure.

"Well that's what they call it." She shakes her head and smiles at him mischievously. "Though you're quite right. They really should change the name."

Kakashi chuckles as he spins her around the dance floor more. "They had better change the name or else they'll have to contend with your mother and I warn you, that there are few people who can handle a sword better than her."

Otoko feels her face burn red. Redder than any tomato could ever hope to be. How could he say such a thing in front of their son?!

"Kakashi!" She glares at him. "You mustn't speak of such things in front of children! What the devil is wrong with you?"

He laughs and smiles at her. "I was referring to the metallic kind of swords." Kakashi winks.

Her son looks at them in confusion and Otoko mentally groans. How did Kakashi keep getting her into these situations? It just wasn't fair.

"There's another kind of sword?" Kaiden looks at her.

Otoko sighs and shakes her head. "There are many other kinds of swords." Damn it! "I simply thought that your father was referring to the wooden kind."

Kakashi was laughing at her without actually doing so. She could just see it in his eyes. She really should make him walk the plank. Just as she had made Hidan do so all those years ago!

"Yes, though only hard wood would do." He shakes his head and smiles at Kaiden. "Nothing is more vexing than a soft sword."

Oh for goodness sakes! Kakashi was extremely fortunate that she loved him or else Otoko would have killed him by now.

"You're such a bloody idiot." She rolls her eyes at him.

He smiles and kisses her forehead. "Perhaps, but I'm your bloody idiot." That damn bastard had to go and be so sweet and self-deprecating. "Just as you are my Lady. Whether the seas be calm or stormy."

That was awfully corny. Positively sappy and damn it, that stuff actually worked.

"Good." She nods at him. "Then everything is as it ought to be."

He laughs and nods in agreement while spinning Kaiden around. "Exactly, My Dear." Indeed. They had had managed to navigate the stormy seas together and defeat an evil queen. Not only that, but they had a family. What could possibly be better than that?

Nothing. That's what could be better than that. Otoko wouldn't trade her family for all the gold and riches in the world.

"Good. I'm glad that you have learned your lesson." She winks at him. "It's better to agree with me. It'll always make your life easy." To which both Kakashi and Kaiden laugh, causing her to smile. As she said, she wouldn't trade them for the world.


End file.
